Ch. 431..440
Chapter 431
Since Sophie had taken her seat, Ysabelle sat down as well.
A few classmates who were close to Ysabelle also came over and joined them.
“As expected, you guys are shunning an old fogey like me, right?” said the homeroom teacher unhappily.
“What are you talking about, Teach? You're not old at all. By the way, I heard you're not married yet. Do you want me to introduce a girl to you?” one of the girls asked.
“Sure. Introduce one to me, please,” the homeroom teacher replied jokingly.
“Hmm... Let me think about what kind of girl is worthy of you.” Teach is so humorous and delightful! He deserves a wonderful girlfriend.
Everyone continued to eat as they chatted away.
The atmosphere was incredibly harmonious.
Since they had graduated, all the guys imbibed alcohol during the gathering. Moments later, one of the guys approached Sophie with two bottles of beer and handed one over to her.
“Hi, Sophie. I'm Gregory, who's been sitting on your right in class.”
Sophie recognized the tall and burly guy, Gregory Chambers, and took the beer. I remember him. He did not excel academically but was good at sports.
“I've fallen in love with you since the first day you came to our class,” Gregory blurted out blatantly. Since we won't get to see each other as much in the future, I must seize the opportunity to confess my love for Sophie today.
“I see.”
With a fork, Sophie casually opened the beer bottle in her hand and clinked Gregory's.
“Thank you for that.”
She did not know what to say to him besides that.
Sophie then chugged the whole bottle of beer in one go.
Gregory was dumbfounded when he saw that.
What an aggressive girl! Since she has finished her bottle, I should finish mine as well.
“I know it's not possible for us to get together, but since we have graduated now, I want to express my true feelings and move on with my life after this,” Gregory added. Or else, it's going to be painful if I keep this one-sided love in my heart for the rest of my life.
It's good that he'd think that way.
Sophie disliked being pestered by someone, and neither did Tristan. Therefore, Sophie appreciated
Gregory's decision to let go after expressing his feelings.
However, someone took a video of the scene and sent it to Willow.
Willow felt irritated after watching the video. Sophie just won't stop seducing others no matter where she goes. But now that I have this video in my possession, maybe I should use it as a bargaining chip and have a talk with her.
After eating, the students of Senior Class 8 went to the karaoke lounge.
The place was basically Ysabelle's home ground.
Since she loved singing, she sang almost the whole time while the other classmates listened. They didn't have any problem with that, for her voice was melodious.
“All of you better cherish this opportunity. Ysabelle is making a debut soon. By then, you guys will have to pay if you want to listen to her singing.”
“Ysabelle, can you give me your autograph after this? I'm going to make money with it when you become popular,” someone said jokingly.
“Sure. I'll give you dozens of autographs so that you won't starve to death when you fail to earn a living in the future,” Ysabelle joked.
“Hey, Sophie. I've never heard you sing before. Since it's such a happy occasion today, why don't you sing a song for us?”
They bore no ill intention and merely wanted to hear Sophie sing.
“Hey! Don't give Sophie a hard time.” Gregory quickly defended Sophie.
“What are you talking about, Gregory? We only want to hear her sing. How is that giving her a hard time?” said one of the students. He's so shameless! Sophie has just rejected him, and he's already defending her now.
“Sophie, sing us a song!” said the homeroom teacher. Sophie is a multitalented person. Although I have never heard her sing before, my instinct tells me she can sing pretty well.
“Come on, Sophie. Show them what you've got!”
With that, Ysabelle quickly picked one of The Wheelers' most famous songs.
Though the song was famous, it was rarely picked in the karaoke lounge due to the genre of the music. Rock music was typically difficult to sing, and that particular song was exceptionally challenging to the vocal.
With a slight mistake in vocal technique, the singer's voice would sound gruff and unpleasant.
“Ysabelle, aren't you Sophie's best friend? How can you set her up like this to complement yourself?” someone questioned.
The song was too challenging and would be a disaster for inexperienced singers.
“What are you talking about? You don't believe in Sophie, do you?” Ysabelle knew her classmates put it
that way because none of them knew Sophie was the person who wrote the song.
If they knew the truth, they wouldn't have said that.
“Soph, here. Take the mic.” Ysabelle directly passed the microphone to Sophie.
In order to not embarrass Ysabelle, Sophie parted her lips to sing.
The room immediately plunged into pin-drop silence.
Oh, dear! I can't believe a top student like Sophie is actually multitalented and can even sing rock music so well. Her cover is definitely comparable to the original song.
Meanwhile, the homeroom teacher smiled.
Just as he had expected, Sophie was a multi-talented person. She could do well in anything, be it in academics or some other aspect.
How can there be such a perfect person in this world? She's so perfect that she makes people around her envious.
Excited, the guys sang along with Sophie. Soon, it was as if everyone in the private room formed an impromptu choir group.
A few minutes later, the song came to an end.
Ysabelle handed a bottle of water to Sophie.
“Sophie, I know you sang for my sake. Aww! I've always known you're the nicest to me,” Ysabelle quickly buttered her friend up.
“That's enough. Stop flattering me, and don't ask me to sing again.”
“Why? You sing well,” asked Ysabelle. If she were to make a debut, she would definitely become exceedingly popular. She's charming, intelligent, talented, and attractive. A perfect girl like her wouldn't even need a public persona to conceal her shortcomings, for she doesn't have any.
“Also, haven't you been preparing for the concert? It's a good opportunity for you to make your debut!”
Ysabelle could not understand why Sophie refused to do so since the latter was obviously talented.
“This concert is to fulfill everyone's dream. I'm still my old self once everything comes to an end,” Sophie insisted.
Ysabelle was somehow disappointed to hear that. What a pity.
“The entertainment industry isn't that scary. You can always come and have fun when you're free.”
“Have fun yourself, and don't worry about me.” Sophie was clear with her purpose in life and already had her own plans.
Subsequently, the guys continued drinking while the girls sang and played games.
Ysabelle was in a bit of a daze when a guy suddenly confessed his love for her.
She had always hoped someone would fall in love with her and confess his love for her, but when it actually happened, she did not feel as excited as she thought she would be.
The look of confusion on Ysabelle's face made Sophie chuckle.
“What's wrong? Haven't you always longed to be in a relationship? What's with that expression?” Sophie could tell that Ysabelle had fallen for Felix. It was just that Ysabelle herself had yet to realize her own feelings.
Chapter 432
“I don't know what's happening to me. Perhaps he's not my type.”
That's the only plausible explanation, isn't it? I've always wanted to fall in love. The fact that no one likes me bothers me, but I still have my own standard. I won't date someone just because they said they like me.
Sophie did not intend to point out the fact that Ysabelle had feelings for Felix.
After all, love was a process which happened gradually.
Thus, it was important for Ysabelle to slowly explore and experience all the wonders of being in love.
“That's enough. Let's not talk about this anymore. I'm sure there will be many good-looking men at the university. When the time comes, I'll date the most handsome one.” Since she was a sucker for good looks, she had a certain standard when it came to a man's physical appearance. Apparently, the guy who proposed to her just then did not reach her standard.
“You're right. There must be a lot of handsome men in the university. You can take your own sweet time to choose one for yourself.”
Ysabelle fell silent all of a sudden.
I don't understand. What's with this empty feeling in my heart? Moreover, why does Felix appear in my mind?
For the rest of the evening, Ysabelle was particularly quiet. She merely sat next to Sophie without
saying a word and was even quieter than the latter.
After the teacher left, the students got increasingly unrestrained. One of them even suggested playing the game “Truth or Dare.”
When one of the guys lost, the others messed around and urged him to give Sophie a hug.
The guy took one look at her and shook his head.
“Forget it. I don't want to die.” Sophie was a quiet and reserved young lady, but the look in her eyes was sometimes frightening even to a guy.
“Why are you such a coward? It's our last day together as a class and this is a good opportunity. You won't get a chance like this in the future.”
Nevertheless, the guy still chose to chug all the beer on the table as a punishment.
When it comes to choosing between a beautiful woman and my life, the latter is obviously more important!
“This is boring, Ysabelle. Let's go back,” Sophie suggested.
If we don't go back soon, Tristan and Felix would be worried. I'm sure they're waiting for us to return.
“Okay.”
Ever since the guy confessed his love for her, Ysabelle had been in low spirits. There was also an
inexplicable hollowness in her heart.
No longer in the mood to have any fun, she had been wanting to go home, so she immediately got up when she heard Sophie's words.
“You guys go ahead. We're going home.”
“This is our last gathering together, Ysabelle. Why are you leaving early? The university entrance exam is over anyway. What else could you be busy with?”
“My family is strict. I have a curfew,” explained Ysabelle with a half-hearted lie.
Some of them began guilt-tripping her. “Are you looking down on us?”
Ysabelle was irritated.
This is just a class gathering. I can leave whenever I want.
“Don't guilt-trip her,” warned Sophie, while Ysabelle remained silent. She was not in the mood to entertain the guy who talked.
“You—”
He wanted to say something else, but Sophie's frosty glare was enough to stop him from talking.
Bobby immediately tried to smooth things over. “Yousuf, what are you doing? We are all classmates.
Don't give them a hard time.”
The guy who upset Ysabelle, Yousuf Bacani, merely snorted.
“Don't mind him, Sophie,” Bobby immediately said.
Without saying anything, Sophie left the place with Ysabelle.
I can leave anytime I want. There's nothing they can do about it.
“Let's go together, Sophie,” one of the girls said.
A few other girls got to their feet as well.
Even though the university entrance exam was over, they didn't want to loosen up too much, lest their family would get worried.
A few of the other guys stood up and suggested, “Bobby, it's really late. I think we should all leave.”
“We'll send them home, Bobby. You guys can continue with the game,” said one of the guys.
It's boring staying here anyway.
Yousuf was slightly irritated when he saw that everyone else was about to leave.
“What's with you guys? Why are you all leaving?”
“Nothing. It's just late, so it's time for us to go home.”
They ignored him and left with Sophie and Ysabelle.
All of a sudden, he was the only one left in the karaoke lounge.
“What the h*ll? What's their problem?” Yousuf was frustrated.
Nonetheless, it was pointless for him to complain, for everyone had already left the room.
After they stepped out of the building, a few of the guys volunteered to send Sophie and Ysabelle home.
“We'll send the two of you home. It's dangerous for two beautiful ladies to go home alone.” Verily, dangers were lurking at every corner for two young and beautiful girls at that time of night.
“No, it's fine,” Sophie rejected.
“Sophie, we're classmates. You don't have to be courteous to us. We're happy to send you home.”
“Someone's here to pick us up,” she said while pointing at a car that was parked at the side.
Have Tristan and Felix been waiting outside the entire time? We didn't call them. Why are they already here when we came out of the building?
The guys could only shrug after taking a look at the luxury car Sophie was referring to.
Though they came from rich families too, one mere glance at that car was all it took for them to know better than to offend the owner of the car.
Sophie was beautiful, but they weren't going to provoke some big shot because of her.
Subsequently, Sophie ignored them and went over to open the car door with Ysabelle.
“How was it? Was it fun?” Tristan and Felix were worried about them, so they arrived early.
As expected, we made the right decision to be here. Look at those boys. They're all over Sophie.
“It was quite boring.” Sophie was a little exhausted.
“Yes, she's right. It's a boring gathering.”
“What's the matter? Did something happen during the gathering?” She was excited about it, wasn't she?
“Nothing happened.” I can't tell them two guys confessed their feelings to us during the gathering, can I?
After arriving at Wisteria Apartments, Tristan followed Sophie back to her room.
“What did you mean when you said that earlier today?”
“What did I say?” She had no idea what he was talking about.
“You said I don't really understand you.”
“I was just kidding. You don't have to take it seriously.”
It was a joke. Why did he take it seriously?
“Have I done something wrong?” Did I make her feel uncomfortable?
“No. You did well.” As a matter of fact, her only wish for him was that he would prioritize his own well- being more.
Out of the blue, Sophie gave him a hug.
“I mean it. You've done the best you can.”
“Really?”
He still did not believe her.
“My only concern is that you're in love with the woman you assumed me to be.”
“You're you, and that's that. I'm in love with you, so I don't care how many sides of you there are. I like them all because they are all you. I also know that you have many secrets, but that doesn't matter. I will wait until the day you're ready to tell me about them.”
Sophie stood on her toes and kissed his lips.
How is he capable of making my heart flutter every time?
Tristan deepened the kiss. In truth, he was anxious when he saw her with those young men in her class.
However, all his anxiety dissipated when he felt her scent enshrouding her at that very moment.
He knew that they were meant for each other.
Chapter 433
The last thing Sophie wanted was to see Willow, but the latter kept showing up everywhere she went.
As soon as Tristan left after dropping Sophie off, Willow appeared at the entrance of TS Entertainment.
Since Sophie was all alone, Willow had nothing to fear.
“Let's talk, Soph!”
Willow was persistent.
She did not have any other option. Since Clayton wanted her to be on good terms with Sophie, she could only do as he said.
She would obey whatever the man said, for there was no way she would give up on her dream of marrying a rich man.
With a frown, Sophie paid no heed to Willow and tried to walk past her.
Willow was annoyed by the other woman's haughty demeanor. How can she treat me like that? I'm her sister! She has to at least show some respect for me, right?
“Who do you think you are, Sophie?” she asked angrily.
Nevertheless, Sophie continued ignoring Willow to the extent of pretending that the latter wasn't even there.
“I'm talking to you, Sophie!”
Willow chased after her.
“I'm warning you. If you continue ignoring me, don't blame me for showing you no mercy later on.” She could no longer tolerate Sophie's attitude.
Sophie finally stopped in her tracks.
“Are you done, Willow? No matter what you want to do, it's your business. It has nothing to do with me. I'm not interested in anything that concerns you,” she said coolly.
“Is that so? What do you think Mr. Tristan will do when he saw the video?” Since Sophie refused to engage in a proper conversation with Willow, the latter could only resort to threats.
“What video?” What is she trying to do now?
Willow was pleased when Sophie stopped walking.
So, she is still afraid of something.
“I've told you before, right, Soph? No matter what happened, we're sisters. Our lives are linked together. Am I right?” Willow said, beaming.
Sophie was at a loss for words.
Sisters? She's defiling the word “sisters.”
“Clayton told me to get along with you. So, we shall let bygones be bygones. Let's pretend that nothing had happened.”
“Clayton?”
So I was right. Clayton is engaged to Willow only because he thinks I will make compromises for her sake.
“That's right. Clayton is my fiancé now. I hope that you can cut him some slack.” Willow was bothered by how Sophie treated Clayton mercilessly. “The way you're treating him is putting me in a tight spot, you know?” she added.
“That's your problem. Clayton is up to no good. I think it's better if you cancel the engagement.”
Words eluded Willow, who was genuinely enraged.
“I know that you resent me. But I'm not the only one to blame for what happened in the past, right?”
“You, of all people, should know the answer to that. You don't have to talk to me about it. I'm busy, and I don't have the time to entertain you.”
The date of the concert was just around the corner, and she still didn't know why Mark was leaving.
Thus, she had a lot of things to tend to.
“Sophie, as long as you don't make things difficult for Clayton, we can all live peacefully. Isn't that great?”
“His fate is already sealed!” came Sophie's curt answer.
“You!”
She isn't showing me any respect at all! How can she say that about my fiancé right in front of me?
“By the way, I don't even care about the video you're talking about. I'm not interested in it.” With that said, Sophie entered the building.
She would not be threatened by anyone.
Willow attempted to follow Sophie but was stopped by the security guards.
“I'm sorry, but you're not allowed to enter if you're not an employee.”
“What do you mean? I'm Sophie Tanner's sister. This is her company. Why can't I enter the building?” These guards are merely watchdogs. I'm the boss here! How dare they stop me from entering?
“I'm really sorry. No matter who you are, you're not allowed to enter if you don't have an employee ID.”
The security guards refused to budge.
Is she kidding? Ms. Tanner didn't pay us high wages for us to mess around. Not anyone can enter TS Entertainment.
“You—” Willow wanted to force her way in, but to no avail.
At that moment, Ysabelle arrived. She frowned upon seeing Willow at the entrance.
“Why are you still here, Willow? Why don't you just give up? Sophie doesn't want to have anything to do with you.”
Once the security guards saw Ysabelle, they immediately greeted her. “Greetings, Ms. Lombard!”
“Don't let her enter the building. Sophie doesn't want to see her,” she instructed the guards.
“What's with that attitude, Ysabelle? I'm Sophie's actual sister. Who do you think you are?”
“To be honest, it's sickening to see you this early in the morning.” Ysabelle disregarded her and walked into the building.
There was nothing else that Willow could do.
The weather was scorching hot as she continued waiting outside, but she didn't get to have a talk with Sophie.
Feeling frustrated and defeated, she forwarded the video about the confession to a reporter.
I don't care about Sophie anymore. If she refuses to make things easy for me, I would let her have a taste of her own medicine.
The reporter was elated to receive the video early in the morning.
Sophie is the highest achiever in the university entrance exam this year! There are plenty of news about these high achievers on various social media platforms, but there's none about Sophie even though she was ranked first in the exam.
The reporter wondered which kind soul gave him such a great opportunity to publish such interesting news.
Thus, the reporter quickly edited the video and uploaded it on TikTok.
Tristan wasn't interested in watching TikTok videos. Felix was the one who found out about the video when he saw his secretary watching it.
He quickly downloaded TikTok and searched for the video before bringing his phone to Tristan's office.
“I want to show you something, Mr. Tristan.” I told him to attend the gathering, but he didn't want to. Look what has happened. Someone actually confessed to Sophie. What a bold man!
“What is it?” Tristan asked, uninterested.
Felix handed his phone to Tristan and the latter proceeded to watch the video.
“Who recorded the video?” I thought those who attended the gathering yesterday were students of Senior Class 8. Someone has recorded this video and uploaded it on social media. What does the person want?
“Is that the main point? The main point is that someone confessed his love for Sophie!”
“So? Isn't that normal? She's an outstanding woman. It's not a surprise that many people like her.”
It's not weird at all.
Felix was rendered speechless.
Fine! I give up. Mr. Tristan's way of thinking is different from mine. Even our main focus is not the same.
“Find out who the person is,” Tristan ordered.
“Sure. I'll do that right away.”
It was not difficult for Felix to handle such a trivial matter. In less than ten minutes, he found out who the culprit was.
Subsequently, he brought his men to meet the reporter who published the video.
When the reporter saw so many people coming for him, he trembled violently in fright.
Chapter 434
Willow never expected to receive a call from Tristan. He had, after all, always regarded her with scorn.
Even when they met at the Tanner residence, he would always ignore her.
So what brings him here to look for me right now?
When Willow came out of the Tanner residence, she saw Tristan's car parked outside. Even though she was currently Clayton's fiancée, she still would not dare to offend him.
Felix got out of the car and opened the door for her when he saw her approaching.
“Mr. Tristan has a few things to say to you.”
Willow began trembling in fear at Felix's words.
“Why does Mr. Tristan want to see me? I don't think I've done anything wrong recently,” she asked tentatively. Is he truly that resourceful? Does he know that I was the one who sent the video?
“Don't you think you should know what you did or didn't do?” Felix commented snarkily. I can't believe she's still playing innocent.
Willow dared not get in the car after hearing his remark.
“I honestly didn't do anything.” She adamantly refused to admit her mistakes.
“Talking to you is a waste of time. Get in the car.” Willow had no choice but to get into the passenger
seat when Felix went over and opened the car door.
The moment she got in, she saw Tristan sitting in the backseat.
“Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Tristan?” she asked anxiously before he even said anything.
“You think you're quite clever, don't you, Willow?”
Willow was at a loss for words.
She genuinely did not understand what he meant.
“Mr. Tristan, have I done something to upset you?”
“Weren't you the one who sent the confession video?” Does she still think that nothing has happened after sending such a video to the reporters?
“So what if I did? I have no other intentions. Someone confessed to Sophie. That's not something I can control, isn't it?” Willow argued. This man must be jealous now! But even so, shouldn't he be settling the score with Sophie? Why is he here looking for me?
“Since Sophie is my girlfriend, I won't allow anyone to scheme against her. You're now slandering my girlfriend. Do you think I'll let this slide?” Does she think that no one knows about her little tricks?
Willow did not dare to meet his gaze.
What is going on? Why are things progressing differently from what I expected?
“Mr. Tristan, I—”
“I don't want to hear your excuses!” Tristan snapped before calling for Felix.
When Felix came over, he ordered, “Take her away!”
“Right away!”
This woman is so self-righteous.
For the first time in her life, Willow actually felt scared. What did he mean by taking me away? Where are they going to take me?
“Mr. Tristan, no matter what, I'm still Sophie's sister. You can't treat me like this.”
“Watch and see if I can.”
Tristan shot Felix a look, and the latter immediately got into the driver's seat and started the car.
As he began driving, Willow panicked.
“What do you think you're doing? If I don't go back soon, my mom will find out about this.”
Felix chuckled.
He did not know whether to laugh at her for being stupid or for being naive.
Seeing the smile on Felix's face, Willow was shaking in her boots.
“I honestly didn't do anything! All I did was send the clip to the reporters! It's not like I asked anyone to confess to Sophie! What does her imprudence have anything to do with me?”
“Imprudence?” he thundered.
Even at that point, the woman still had the audacity to speak ill of Sophie right in front of Tristan.
Utterly frightened, Willow shut her mouth.
“It seems that if I don't teach you a lesson, you won't know who you shouldn't mess with!” After Tristan finished speaking, he said to Felix, “Send me to TS Entertainment first, then send her to a psychiatric hospital in the suburbs!”
“What?”
There's no way I'm going to that kind of place! It's basically hell on earth, and it's full of lunatics! Any normal person would be driven insane if they went in there.
“I was wrong, Mr. Tristan. I'm truly sorry. I will never do something like that again. I'm begging you. Please spare me. I promise to stay away from Sophie from now on and never provoke her again,” begged Willow, her face turning pale.
“Let her stay there for three days. If she dares to provoke Sophie in the future, let her remain there for the rest of her life,” Tristan said ruthlessly.
Willow was contemplating her options. She was thinking of opening the car door and escaping. Even if it meant jumping out of the car, she would rather do that than go to the psychiatric hospital.
However, the car was locked, and no matter how hard she tried, her attempts were futile.
Felix was well aware of Tristan's ruthlessness.
However, this time, he felt that Willow deserved it.
Of all people, she had to mess with the woman Mr. Tristan cares about the most. Does she have a death wish? A woman like her is truly not worthy of sympathy at all.
Felix sent Tristan to TS Entertainment.
“Remember. Three days. Should there be a next time, don't even think about getting out.” He merely wanted to teach her a lesson.
With that, Tristan left, leaving Felix and Willow in the car.
At the thought of the treatment she would get at the psychiatric hospital, Willow could no longer remain composed and started yelling for help.
Felix was extremely annoyed by her screams.
“Can you keep your mouth shut?”
“Help!”
Willow did not stop yelling. She fervently hoped that someone outside would hear her since she did not want to go to the psychiatric hospital.
Unable to stand the noise any longer, Felix crumpled a piece of paper into a ball and shoved it in her mouth.
“Godd*mmit! Quiet at last. How can there be a woman like you in this world? You're so stupid.”
Willow shook her head in horror.
No! I don't want to go there!
However, Felix was not about to listen to her and drove her straight to the psychiatric hospital.
After handing her over to the director, he warned, “Mr. Tristan ordered me to send her here. You know what will happen if she escapes!”
“Don't worry, Mr. Northley. She's not getting out without Mr. Tristan's approval,” the director vowed. This place of ours isn't a nice place to be. It's hard to get in and even harder to get out.
“That's good to hear. I'll head back first. Let's have a meal together sometime!”
“All right, Mr. Northley. Drive safely!” the director responded politely.
Willow was brought in by the nurse.
“Let go of me! What are you trying to do? I'm not crazy!” Willow exclaimed frantically.
Her frenzied state caused the nurse to shake her head.
“People that are sent here never admit that they're crazy.” Look at her. How is she not crazy?
“Let go of me. Did you hear me? I swear I'm not crazy.” Willow was beside herself with panic. She had never encountered such a situation before and was terrified.
“Did you not hear it just now? Mr. Tristan sent you here. Since that is the case, whether you are crazy or not doesn't matter.”
The nurse's words rendered Willow speechless.
When Willow spotted a pillar, she raced toward it and clung to it tightly, refusing to let go.
“Do you know who I am? I'm Clayton's fiancée. You can't treat me like this!” That's right. No matter what, I'm still Clayton's fiancée!
Chapter 435
“Mr. Zales?” The director froze momentarily, and he shook his head. “It's no use even if you're his fiancée. Mr. Zales is nothing compared to Mr. Tristan,” he said straightforwardly.
Willow fell into despair.
The nurse then brought Willow to a room with three patients in it. When the three middle-aged women noticed her, they flashed her silly smiles, which gave her goosebumps.
After leaving Willow in the room, the nurse walked out and shut the door.
“Let me out!” The former banged on the door in a frenzied manner.
However, no one responded to her cries.
“Wow. This young lady is so pretty. Come play with me!”
Willow kept backing away. “What are you doing? Stop where you are. I'm warning you. Don't come near!”
“The flower on her head is so pretty!”
Seeing the ribbon on Willow's head, one of the middle-aged women hurried forward, pulled her close, and snatched it off her head.
“Her dress is pretty, too. I want it!” Another woman tugged at Willow's dress so hard that she almost tore it off.
“Ah! What are you people doing? Let me go! Let me go! Do you hear me?” The room echoed with Willow's cries of despair.
Unfortunately, those women with mental disorders were, naturally, oblivious to her cries.
Meanwhile, Tristan had arrived at TS Entertainment.
However, the security guards did not know who he was, so they stopped him from entering.
“I'm sorry. You can't enter without an employee ID,” they informed him. They did not dare to offend Tristan when they saw how he was dressed in premium-looking clothes, but it was their responsibility to keep strangers out. Thus, they had to adhere to the protocol strictly.
“I'm here to see your CEO,” said Tristan.
He never expected there would be a place he would be denied entry.
“There are many people who come looking for our CEO. Why don't you give Ms. Tanner a call and get her to come down to bring you in?”
Not wanting to make things difficult for the guards, Tristan immediately gave Sophie a call. However, she seemed to be occupied and did not answer her phone.
By the time Sophie's meeting had ended, half an hour had passed. After checking her phone for notifications, she gave Tristan a call. “What's up?”
“I'm outside your company, but I can't get in.”
“What?” Sophie asked in surprise. She had never heard of Tristan being denied entry to a place.
“Your company's security guards told me I should ask you to come down and bring me in.”
“All right. I'll be right over.” Sophie walked out of the conference room and headed downstairs.
Sure enough, she saw Tristan at the door the moment she arrived.
“Why did you come here all of a sudden?” she questioned. He should've informed me earlier. Oh my. He must've wasted a lot of time waiting here.
“I missed you, so I came here to see you.”
As Sophie brought him in, she said to the security guards, “This is my boyfriend. You can let him in if he comes looking for me the next time.”
“Okay, Ms. Tanner,” responded the security guards respectfully.
“Good job, by the way. All of you will be given a raise of one thousand.”
Even though they were mere security guards of the company, they had to be the best.
If they weren't the best, they had to at least carry out their duty well, which was something they did perfectly that day.
All the security guards were delighted to hear about the raise.
“Thank you, Ms. Tanner. We were just doing our job.”
“Good. Continue to do your best,” Sophie encouraged.
They played very important roles as the security guards of TS Entertainment.
“All right, Ms. Tanner. Thank you once again.” The security guards bowed in unison.
“It's what you deserve.” With that, she headed upstairs with Tristan.
The man joked, “Wow. You're such a generous person, Ms. Tanner. You seem to be in a good mood today.”
“Oh, it's nothing. I'm just rewarding them for their hard work. Besides, I'm strict with my employees. Everything they receive is just what they deserve,” Sophie explained.
Although she had strict requirements, her employees were never given a low wage.
Soon, the couple arrived at Sophie's office.
Of course, her office was not as grand as Tristan's, but the interior design was simple and refreshing.
She liked the style quite a lot.
After settling down, she poured Tristan a glass of water.
“Carry on with your work. I'm just here to keep you company,” Tristan said. He did not want her work to be affected just because of his presence.
Right then, Xandra walked in and was slightly taken aback to see Tristan sitting on the couch.
Why is Mr. Tristan here?
“Um... Did I interrupt anything? I can leave first if I'm being a disturbance.”
Hearing that, Sophie said, “No, not at all. By the way, I need you to keep an eye on the entire flow of the concert.”
“Huh? It's just a concert. Why should I do that? What's wrong? Is there a problem?” Xandra asked.
I'm just a PR manager. Why should I keep an eye on the concert?
“There's a little problem.”
“What is it?” That was the first time Xandra saw Sophie looking this solemn. Hence, she was curious to find out what had happened.
“It's Mark. He wants to leave The Wheelers.”
“What?” Xandra exclaimed. As expected, it's something big. “When did he say that? Why does he want to leave? He's the soul of The Wheelers. It's meaningless for the band to carry on if he leaves. I'm not
saying the other members aren't good. It's just that it's hard for the band to continue without their core member. Especially when he's the lead singer.”
“I know.”
“Have you talked to Mark about this?” asked Xandra. They're good friends, right? I'm sure they can talk this out.
“I have, but he refuses to tell me anything,” answered Sophie. There was nothing she could do about the matter.
After a moment of silence, Xandra said, “Our company has just launched, and we're already facing such a problem. This isn't going to be easy to deal with. The Wheelers is totally off the charts now. If they disband now, their fans will blame it on us.”
“That's why I need you to keep an eye on the concert. It'll be fine with you there, right?” Sophie said with a smile.
She needed all hands on deck as a precaution, no matter what.
If Mark insisted on leaving when the time came, they would have no choice but to bear with the aftermath.
“Tsk. I shouldn't have said yes to you in the beginning. I could've been enjoying my holiday now,” complained Xandra. She had been dealing with all kinds of problems ever since she got back.
“There, there. I'll treat you to a meal once this is over.”
“Since when did you become such a cheapskate? How could you pay me back with just a meal?”
“I can make it two meals—or three—if that's not enough.”
“All right. I'll keep an eye on the concert. Don't worry. I'll handle it.” The concert would be fine as long as Xandra was there.
Right then, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in!”
Upon hearing that, Cecelia entered the room.
The problem with her contract was already settled, which meant she was currently an artist at TS Entertainment.
“You're amazing, Sophie. I can't believe you successfully dealt with my ex-boss when he's such a tough nut. You're truly a good friend of mine,” Cecelia said with admiration.
Chapter 436
Sophie introduced Xandra to Cecelia.
“This is Xandra. I'm sure you've heard of her before!”
“Of course I have. She is a legend! I knew coming to TS is the best decision I have ever made in my life!” exclaimed Cecelia. I can't believe I've met a legend today!
“Hello, Ms. Yandell! I am Cecelia!”
That was the first time Sophie saw Cecelia behaving so politely toward someone.
“Nice to meet you! From today onward, we are all part of TS. I look forward to working with you.” Xandra smiled.
“The feeling is mutual,” replied Cecelia with a smile.
“Since both of you know each other now, Xandra, please help me bring Cecelia over to rest,” uttered Sophie. Cecelia had her own private lounge in the company as well.
“Sure!”
Cecelia shot a glance at Tristan.
Seriously? Does he need to follow Sophie to work as well? Does he need to be so worried about her?
“Mr. Tristan, looks like you're quite free! Oh, I can't blame you. Sophie is an outstanding woman.
Someone else will pursue her if you don't keep an eye on her. When that happens, there's pretty much nothing you can do,” teased Cecelia before she left.
When Sophie heard what Cecelia said, she was rendered speechless.
Why is Cecelia still behaving like this? She doesn't even have any grudges against Tristan.
“That's just how Cecelia is. You don't need to take her words seriously. She's just joking!” explained Sophie, for Cecelia was her best friend.
“It's okay. I don't mind.”
Tristan couldn't help feeling proud of his girlfriend as he watched how capable and professional she was while she worked.
As expected, she's an independent young lady.
She managed to keep a new company like TS—which was supposed to be chaotic—in order.
Most importantly, most of her subordinates were big shots in the industry.
Tristan waited for Sophie the whole time as she went to rehearse with The Wheelers.
The young lady gave off a totally different feeling when she was performing on stage. The way she played the drum was so cool and charming that everyone was amazed by her performance.
Tristan, who remained by her side to keep her company, would pass her a glass of water from time to time.
“Mr. Tristan, to be honest, are you really that free?”
When Sunny came down from the stage to have a drink, he sat beside Tristan and talked to him.
“What do you think?”
“Looks like you are crazy in love with Sophie!” Sunny commented. If he doesn't like her that much, he won't be all over her.
Sunny then recalled something and added, “Oh, by the way, I saw a clip of someone confessing to Sophie on TikTok. Did you see it?”
He fished out his phone to search for the clip so that he could show it to Tristan, but for some reason, he could no longer find it.
“That's weird. I don't know what happened. Why can't I find it?” Sunny was puzzled.
“It's okay. You don't need to show me. I don't want to see it. You better go and rehearse. Everyone is still waiting for you!”
Sunny looked up at the stage and realized that everyone was already in their position and waiting for him.
“Fine. Forget about it.” Sunny did not want to force him. Before he went up the stage, he added, “Letnoveldrama
me give you an advice. There are a lot of people pursuing Sophie, so you must treat her very well to prevent her from leaving you.”
Who knows what will happen to The Wheelers after the concert ended. Perhaps we'd disband because neither of us can accept the idea of changing our main vocalist. So, after the concert, the band would cease to exist. By then, I would most probably return to Horington. However, before that, Sophie is still the person I'm most worried about. I just hope Mr. Tristan can do his best to protect her. That way, I'll be at ease.
“Okay.”
Tristan nodded solemnly.
He understood what Sunny was trying to express.
The next round of rehearsal started with Sophie's performance as well. When she began playing the drum, it was like the drumsticks in her hands had come to life.
Even though it was just a rehearsal, every single one of them did their best. Therefore, the result of the rehearsal was perfect.
When Mark was singing, he would subconsciously look in Sophie's direction.
It's been a long time since I had that feeling. Even if I were to leave the band in the future, I'm satisfied to be able to rehearse together with Sophie.
The rehearsal ended around half-past six in the evening. When Sophie was changing in the practice
room, Tristan was still there, waiting for her.
Mark went over to Tristan and sat down next to him.
“Are you that worried about her?”
He was happy to know that someone cared about Sophie that much.
At the very least, he is capable of taking good care of Sophie.
“Yes. Since I am free today, I thought of coming to visit you guys. The rehearsal was amazing.” In fact, if Sophie could debut, she would definitely become popular in the entertainment industry.
The aura that she possessed could easily bring her fame in the entertainment industry.
“Thank you.”
“Since you love performing on stage, why do you want to leave?” asked Tristan. Mark had never revealed the truth behind his decision to leave.
“So what if I love performing? I love Sophie, too, but in the end, I still have to give up on her. Love and passion can't solve everything.”
Ultimately, one should learn how to give up.
“This is different.”
He can't compare relationship matters with the band. They are two entirely different things.
“Actually, they are the same.”
He wouldn't have given up if he had other options.
“To be honest, if you have any problems, you can let me know,” informed Tristan. Sophie was reluctant to see Mark leave because if the latter left, The Wheelers would most probably disband.
“Mr. Tristan, have you ever thought of me as your love rival?”
Tristan was at a loss for words.
Should I tell him the truth? The truth is going to hurt him.
“Not even once, right? Yeah, I understand. Since Sophie never liked me, why would you be jealous?” Mark smiled self-deprecatingly.
“Mark, nothing is certain in terms of relationship matters. I know you treat her well, but this might not mean anything to her. Don't tell me you are leaving because of this.”
“How is that possible? You're overthinking it. All right. Let's not talk about this anymore. I'm going to change.”
That night, Tristan, Ysabelle, and Sophie had dinner with the members of The Wheelers.
After the rehearsal, all of them were tuckered out. Hence, they were exceptionally quiet during the meal.
Ysabelle was a little uncomfortable with that situation.
It was already nine at night when they returned to Wisteria Apartments after dinner.
After Sophie took her shower, she received a call from Morgan.
“Morgan, what happened? Did something happen to Grandpa?” Usually, Morgan would only call Sophie if something had happened to Josiah.
“Ms. Sophie, don't worry. Old Mr. Tanner is doing good. It's Ms. Willow. She's gone, and she is nowhere to be found. Did you see her today?”
“She did come to find me at the company today. Why?”
“Everyone at home can't reach her. No one knows where she went!” Morgan replied in exasperation.
“Hasn't she always been like this? She's always willful and acts as she pleases. I believe she'll return home soon.” Sophie was not the least bit interested in Willow's matter.
Charmaine snatched the phone from Morgan and immediately started interrogating Sophie, “Sophie, it's your mom. Have you seen Willow? Did you do something to her? Why would she disappear all of a sudden?”
“What do you mean?” Sophie frowned. What does she think I'd do to Willow?
Chapter 437
Charmaine belatedly realized what she said, but it was too late to retract her words.
“Sophie, no matter what, we're still a family. I hope this matter isn't related to you,” Charmaine said in the end.
“Ha!” Sophie couldn't help but snort out loud. “I don't have a family like you.”
After all, Charmaine had never sided with her. Not even once.
How dare she suspect I did something to Willow?
With that said, Sophie cut the line instantly, not bothering to entertain the woman any longer.
No matter what she said, Charmaine still wouldn't trust her. Thus, it was pointless for her to try and change Charmaine's mind.
Seeing that, Tristan took her hand and pulled her into his arms. “What's the matter?”
“I'm fine,” came Sophie's answer. She wasn't about to let unimportant people affect her mood. That was absolutely unnecessary.
“You don't look like you're fine,” Tristan replied. She seems to be in a bad mood.
“Willow is missing, and my mom thinks I did it,” Sophie revealed nonchalantly. “Tell me. Am I that free?”
“Oh, I see.” Tristan snorted. Charmaine is indeed a loathsome woman.
“Since she's not important, don't be angry at her. It's not worth it. Go take a shower. I'll give you a massage later,” he urged.
She had rehearsed for a long time and should be exhausted.
Sophie snuggled into the couch and didn't feel like moving. “I don't feel like taking a shower!”
Tristan's heart skipped a beat when he saw how adorable she looked.
“Be good. Take a shower and go to bed. Just ignore those nobodies,” he comforted her.
Meeting his affectionate gaze, Sophie couldn't bring herself to say no. She climbed up from her spot on the couch and went to the bathroom to take a shower.
Meanwhile, Yale was gazing at Charmaine fervently. “What did she say? Has she seen Willow?” he demanded.
No matter what, Willow was now Clayton's fiancée, so nothing could happen to her.
Charmaine shook her head.
“Why did I give birth to such a daughter? She's so rude! Did you know she hung up on me?” she complained.
Charmaine was filled with regret. I shouldn't have given birth to her in the first place.
“I told you not to give birth to her, but you insisted. It's useless to regret now,” Yale snapped. All she does is make life difficult for us.
Charmaine was frustrated. “What should we do now?” she asked worriedly.
Willow went missing all of a sudden, so they couldn't just act as if nothing had happened.
Something might happen to her out there.
“Should we call Clayton? After all, Willow is his fiancée, so he wouldn't ignore our plight,” Yale declared. Subsequently, he whipped his phone out to give Clayton a call.
However, the call did not get through.
“This is impossible. Why can't the call get through?” Yale blurted out in disbelief. “What's going on?”
He was utterly confused.
Hearing that, Charmaine demanded, “What? What happened?”
“I can't get through. Okay, that's enough. Stop worrying. It has been less than twenty-four hours since she went missing, so the police won't help even if we were to make a police report. Go to bed, and we'll see what happens tomorrow.”
He could head to Zales Corporation and ask for Clayton's help if nothing else worked.
The next day, Willow still didn't show up.
Yale went straight to Zales Corporation, but the security guard refused to allow him entry.
“What are you doing? Didn't you read the news? I'm your CEO's father-in-law. I have some urgent matters that I need to talk to him about. Let me in now! Otherwise, you'll be punished for delaying my matter!” Yale behaved unreasonably.
I'm an influential person now. How dare they treat me this way?
“I'm sorry, but our CEO is very busy. He doesn't have time to entertain random people,” the security guard responded curtly.
“You!” Yale fumed. He had never been humiliated this way.
“You should leave as soon as possible. We have no choice but to call the police if you continue to act unreasonably,” the security guard warned.
Right then, Clayton strode out of the company.
Seeing him, Yale yelled, “Mr. Zales, I'm Yale Tanner, Willow's father! Willow is in trouble!”
Clayton heard the older man's voice and turned around to see Willow's father.
He approached Yale and said, “What is going on? Yale, what do you want? You're not allowed to cause a commotion at Zales Corporation.”
How could he cause a ruckus here and affect our operation?
As Clayton didn't bother showing Yale any respect, the latter was displeased.
I'm his father-in-law. How could he treat me rudely?
“Clayton, I seriously need your help. Do you think I like coming to your company?” he hissed furiously.
Despite his fury, he couldn't do anything to Clayton.
“I'm busy, so I don't have time to hear your nonsense!” Clayton responded, refusing to waste his precious time on Yale.
“Willow is missing. We lost contact with her yesterday at noon. I know you look down on our family, but no matter what, Willow is still your fiancée. You shouldn't turn a blind eye to her plight!”
“If she's missing, what can I do to help? I think you should go to the police,” Clayton snapped. He was unconcerned by Willow's matters.
Yale stared at him incredulously. How could he say that?
He couldn't help but ask, “Do you even like Willow?” He's acting so strangely. Why doesn't he seem to care?
“That's enough. I don't have time to entertain you,” Clayton declared. If Willow is of no use to me, she's better off missing.
With that said, Clayton left with his subordinates.
Yale tried to go after him but was stopped by the security guards.
“Hear that? Mr. Zales didn't even bother sparing your dignity. You should leave instead of making things difficult for us,” the security guard told Yale.
Yale stood underneath the scorching sun, not understanding what was going on.
Back in Tristan's office, Felix was helping Tristan deal with some matters.
“How is Willow doing there?” Tristan asked.
“Oh, how rare of you to show concern for someone else,” Felix joked. Weren't you the one who sent her there?
“I need you to head there today. Ask her to call her family and tell them she is traveling alone,” Tristan ordered. He hated it when outsiders disturbed Sophie.
“I don't think that's an easy feat. She never wanted to enter the psychiatric hospital in the first place. If I allow her to make the phone call, she will definitely rat us out,” Felix replied hesitantly.
Tristan was unbothered. “This is no big deal. Can't you handle it?”
“Okay, fine. I got it. I will handle it,” Felix promised. I'm fated to work my as* off. I have no other choice.
“Does Sophie know about this?” he asked.
“As of now, no. There's no need to tell her about it. She doesn't have to know that I'm teaching Willow a lesson,” came Tristan's answer.
“Okay. I know what to do.” Felix nodded. He doesn't want anyone to know, so I'll wipe off all traces of our doing.
Chapter 438
Clayton wasn't about to offer any help, so Charmaine could only go to Sophie again.
She tried calling Sophie's phone, but the latter didn't answer her calls.
Left without a choice, she had to wait under TS Entertainment's building. She knew Sophie was recently busy with matters concerning TS Entertainment and would definitely show up there.
As expected, Sophie showed up at half-past eight. It was Tristan who gave her a ride there.
Charmaine only had the guts to reveal herself after Tristan left.
“Soph, wait up!” she called out.
Sophie halted in her tracks. “Why are you so stubborn? I told you I didn't do anything to Willow. I don't care whether or not you believe me. Why don't you call the cops instead of harassing me?”
“Soph, I—” Before Charmaine could finish, her phone rang.
“Mom, it's me!” It was Willow.
“Willa? Where have you been? Don't you know I've been worried sick about you? Where are you now?” Charmaine asked anxiously. She couldn't be bothered about Sophie anymore.
“Don't worry about me, Mom. I went on a vacation with my friends and will be back in a few days. My phone ran out of battery, so I didn't call you yesterday,” Willow explained with a pale face.
“Oh, I see. We got worried over nothing. Don't do that again. I'm glad that you're fine.” Charmaine could finally heave a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she went on vacation. Nothing happened to her.
Pleased with her obedience, Felix got the phone back. “Good job. Don't worry, for we'll release you three days later. Remember, don't provoke Sophie ever again. You know how much Mr. Tristan adores her. If you mess with her again, you might have to stay here forever,” he warned.
Willow shivered in fear. Gritting her teeth, she said nothing in response.
Felix is a horrifying man.
“Truth be told, I'm a gentleman, so I don't want to hurt you. Stay here obediently for the next few days,” Felix reminded her.
With that, he exited the room.
It wasn't hard for him to deal with a young lady like Willow.
Rage filled Willow's heart. It is all Sophie's fault I ended up like this! If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here today. One day, I shall make sure she gets a taste of her own medicine!
After the call ended, Charmaine didn't know what to say.
She couldn't help remembering what she said last night to Sophie on the phone.
“Soph, we—” She was at a loss of words.
Unbothered, Sophie interrupted her, “You don't have to say anything. I know what you're thinking, but I'm not the least bit bothered by someone like Willow.”
Willow was never even qualified to be her enemy.
Charmaine fell silent.
Subsequently, Sophie spun on her heels and entered TS Entertainment, reluctant to continue talking to Charmaine.
Since young, Charmaine had always favored Willow even though Sophie was the youngest child in the family. Nonetheless, Sophie never really liked Charmaine either, and thus couldn't be bothered to earn her affection.
Two people would slowly grow apart if they didn't work hard to maintain their relationship. That fact affected the relationship between parents and their children as well.
Once there was a rift between them, there was no going back.
Charmaine stared at Sophie's back as regret overwhelmed her heart.
I shouldn't have said that. I was too worried about Willow. Since young, I've always favored Willow. That might be unfair, but I just cannot help it.
She felt a gush of regret at the sight of Sophie's back.
However, it was too late for that. Sophie was already hurt, and there was nothing Charmaine could do to undo that.
After rehearsal ended that afternoon, Sophie got changed and was about to go and find Tristan when she spotted Mark getting into a car outside. She had never seen the car before.
The people in the car looked suspicious, too.
Sunny drove out of the building, and when he saw Sophie outside, he hit the brakes and asked, “Sophie, where are you going? I can give you a ride!”
“Get down!” Sophie commanded.
“Huh? What are you talking about?” Sunny didn't understand her order.
“I said, get down. Lend me your car,” Sophie said.
As he still didn't respond after a while, Sophie promptly dragged him out of his car before hopping into it and driving away.
Something was off with Mark, so she thought it might be connected to those people she saw in the car.
Sunny, who was left behind, was utterly dumbfounded.
What the h*ll is going on?
“Sophie!” he screamed.
Alas, his car was already a distance away, so it was useless no matter how loud he screamed. “D*mn it. How did that happen?” he grumbled.
Sophie followed the car for a while until the other party realized they were being followed and prepared to get rid of her.
Despite being a great driver, Sophie couldn't do a good job stalking the car, for Sunny's car was too ostentatious.
“Someone is after us. Take action!”
Hearing that, Mark turned over his shoulder and spotted Sunny's car.
He immediately furrowed his brows. Did Sunny discover something?
“That's my friend. You are not allowed to harm him!” he declared. His father wanted him to attend a gathering today, and he agreed to be there.
Since he had made a promise, he naturally had to keep it, but he wouldn't allow anyone to harm the members of The Wheelers.
“Mr. Mark!”
“What? Are you refusing to listen to my order?” Mark hissed. He was usually indifferent, but he looked pretty intimidating at that moment.
The men in the car dared not utter a word.
“Just shake him off,” Mark ordered.
He then turned around to take another look.
Sunny's driving skills has improved considerably, huh?
The driver of Mark's car was an experienced driver who knew the area well.
However, it was pretty hard for him to shake off the car following them.
“Mr. Mark, who is that? I think he or she is great in countersurveillance,” the driver asked.
Mark frowned. “Are you sure?” Is Sunny skilled in countersurveillance? That sounds impossible. There can only be one possibility—Sunny isn't the driver! Who else could it be? The members of The Wheelers come from a clean background. They can't possibly be trained in that. Can it be Sophie?
In the end, someone had to come and help them before they managed to get rid of Sophie.
Sophie got out of the car as someone blocked her path.
“Young lady, do you know where you are? How dare you come here?” the man said arrogantly.
Sophie retorted, “I don't know where I am, but I can go wherever I want. What can you do?”
“You're quite arrogant, huh? Let me tell you. You're in Emerald Gang's territory. If you have no business
to be here, leave right away!” the man warned. His superior left orders that they couldn't harm this young lady, so they could only warn her verbally.
“Emerald Gang?” Sophie repeated. How is Mark related to Emerald Gang?
The man sneered, “Are you scared? Leave now!” They didn't want to waste more time on her.
“Scared? What a joke.” Sophie wasn't scared of anything in the world.
“Oh, you just won't give up, huh?”
Chapter 439
Sophie pulled out a piece of gum from her pocket and tore the packaging open slowly before popping it into her mouth.
“How is Mark Wheeler related to you?” she asked.
They took Mark away, so she was sure he was somehow related to them. Otherwise, he wouldn't have followed them willingly.
The men shared a look when they heard Mark's name.
In the end, they insisted, “We don't know what you're talking about. Who is Mark Wheeler?”
“Looks like you won't reveal anything if I don't teach you a lesson, huh?” As Sophie chewed her gum, she approached the men.
“Young lady, don't come any closer. Otherwise, don't blame us for taking action.”
“Bring it!” Sophie responded casually.
She then delivered a roundhouse kick and sent a burly brute crashing to the ground.
“Guys, attack!”
They were all members of a gang, so it was embarrassing if they were defeated by a young lady.
Nevertheless, Sophie managed to defeat them all without breaking a sweat.
She then dusted her hands and stood before them.
“Spill the beans. As long as you tell the truth, I won't make things difficult for you,” Sophie announced. She was never a patient person, and at that moment, all her patience was gone.
“We don't know what you're talking about. Mark Wheeler? I don't know who he is!” one of the thugs insisted.
Sophie frowned. “Are you sure?” She gave him one last chance to spill the truth.
“I don't know anything!”
Sophie strode over, grabbed the thug's wrist, and gave it a forceful twist, causing him to yelp in anguish.
He broke into a cold sweat. “Have mercy on me,” he begged.
“Do you really not know who Mark Wheeler is?” she demanded. Something is fishy.
“We don't know who he is. We're just ordinary thugs.” These thugs knew nothing as they were at the lowest level of the hierarchy in the gang. They merely received orders from their superiors to stop Sophie.
They had no idea Sophie was this strong.
As the thug seemed to be telling the truth, Sophie released her grip on his wrist.
“I hope you're telling the truth. If I discover you'd been lying, I won't let this slide,” she cautioned.
Though she was quite a good-looking young lady, her words sent a chill down those thugs' spines.
Afterward, she spun on her heels and returned to the car.
Sunny's call arrived the moment she got into the car.
“Sophie, are you okay? Where are you?” Sunny asked anxiously. “Tell me. Did something happen to you?”
“I'm fine. I'll keep the car for now and drive it back to the company to return it to you tomorrow,” Sophie assured him.
Something's wrong. How is Mark related to Emerald Gang?
Sophie wasn't going to give up since she finally found a clue.
“The car isn't important. You can use it if you need it,” came Sunny's answer. As long as she was safe and sound, nothing else mattered.
“Okay. I'll hang up now.”
With that, Sophie hung up without even giving Sunny a chance to speak. After that, she promptly called Mark.
Just as she had expected, Mark's phone was switched off.
She tried calling him a few times but to no avail.
After that, she went straight to Wings of Light's headquarters. Butterfly had not seen her for some time and was delighted at her arrival.
“Why did you come without informing me in advance? Do you miss me?” she asked, reading too much into Sophie's sudden appearance.
“Of course not. I came here to investigate something,” replied Sophie.
“Oh, I see. I thought you missed me. How could you treat me like that? I helped you take care of Wings of Light, but you didn't even come and visit in your free time!” Butterfly complained.
“I came today to visit you while I'm at it, didn't I?” Sophie replied.
Wings of Light was doing well, so there was no reason for her to visit.
“While you're at it? Wow. You're breaking my heart!” Butterfly was close to tears.
“Okay, stop it. Don't disturb me!” Sophie chided.
Switching on the computer in Wings of Light, she entered her account name and password to investigate Mark's background.
Previously, she had never thought about investigating Mark.
Everyone had their own secrets, so she respected his privacy and never investigated his background.
However, this wasn't a simple matter, so it required a thorough investigation.
As expected, she discovered the truth soon after.
It turned out that Mark was the young heir of Emerald Gang!
Surprisingly, the young heir of Emerald Gang, Mark Wheeler, was extremely popular in the entertainment industry. The world was indeed a place full of wonders.
After reading the information, Sophie wasn't at all surprised.
She had always felt that Mark wasn't an ordinary person, and her hunch was confirmed.
“What's wrong? What's with that look on your face?” Butterfly was worried.
“I'm fine.” Sophie switched off the computer and rose from her chair to leave.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Butterfly stopped her. “Sophie, are you leaving already? You haven't even taken a good look at me!” How could she act this way? This is too much!
Sophie turned over her shoulder and spared Butterfly a look.
“Okay, I've looked at you. I'm busy, so I won't stay for a meal.” She then left without looking back.
Butterfly stood rooted to the spot in befuddlement. What the h*ll? Why do I feel like a consort waiting for the emperor to notice me? My heart feels empty. She really left without looking back!
Meanwhile, Felix also discovered Mark's real identity and came to Tristan. “Mr. Tristan, do you know who Mark Wheeler is?” he asked eagerly.
“Who is he?”
“The young heir of Emerald Gang! Sophie is surrounded by many influential people, huh?” Felix commented. Almost any one of the people around her was an important figure.
“Oh.” Tristan was surprised to learn that.
He had never connected Mark to Emerald Gang before.
“What does his quitting have to do with his identity? Is he going to take over his father's position in Emerald Gang?”
That could be a possibility.
“Both matters should be related, but I'm not sure about the details,” Felix replied.
“You're useless!” Tristan rolled his eyes.
Felix didn't know what to say in response. He had gone through a lot of trouble digging up the information, but Tristan still regarded him with disdain. Does he have to be so mean?
“All right. Continue with your investigation,” Tristan finally said.
“Where are you going?” Felix demanded. He had just arrived and didn't even get to take a sip of water, but Tristan was already leaving.
“Back to Wisteria Apartments,” Tristan told him.
This is important, so I must tell Sophie in person. I wonder how she'll react upon discovering the truth!
“I knew it,” Felix grumbled.
At present, nothing was more important to Tristan than Sophie.
“What's wrong? Won't you be picking Ysabelle up today? She'll probably be practicing until late at night,” Tristan reminded. Has he given up on Ysabelle?
“Why does she insist on tiring herself out? It's just a debut. There's no need to work so hard,” Felix complained. He was upset about the fact that Ysabelle was currently focused on her career.
“Let her know your opinion, then,” Tristan returned.
It was useless for him to complain here, for Ysabelle would never hear his complaints.
“I wouldn't dare!” Felix muttered under his breath. Ysabelle was too hot-tempered to listen to his advice.
Chapter 440
When Tristan arrived at Wisteria Apartments, Sophie had also just arrived home. He brought takeaway dinner as he knew she might not want to eat out after busying herself for the whole day. Thus, he decided to get takeout without informing her in advance.
“Go wash your hands. It's time to have dinner.” Tristan was setting the table. “Susan is busy tonight, so I bought some food.”
“Oh, Susan did tell me she's busy today.” Susan asked for a day off, and they were too busy to cook dinner themselves.
Throughout dinner, Sophie seemed preoccupied.
“What's the matter? Did something happen in TS Entertainment?” Tristan asked.
“No, it's about Mark. It turns out he's the young heir of Emerald Gang!” Sophie revealed. She wasn't about to hide the truth from him.
“Oh, you've already figured it out.” Tristan could barely hide his surprise. Sophie's good, huh? She can investigate everything herself without needing my help.
“What does that mean? Did you also find out about it?”
“I know you're concerned about Mark, so I told Felix to investigate him. Will you blame me?” Tristan asked.
Sophie shook her head.
She knew he was only trying to help out and would never blame him.
“No!” she answered. “I know he's the young heir of Emerald Gang, but I still don't know why he's leaving the band.”
Indeed, some people couldn't escape destiny no matter how hard they tried.
Perhaps Mark was one of them.
He couldn't escape from the fact that he was the young heir of Emerald Gang.
Mark was carrying a lot of weight that he just couldn't give up easily.
“All right, stop mulling over the matter. If he doesn't want to go back, no one can force him to do so. We are his strong backup,” Tristan assured her.
That was something Mark had to decide for himself.
“Yeah. I know.”
Tristan was around, so Sophie didn't need to worry about many things.
“Eat up. You've lost weight recently,” Tristan urged. He grew increasingly displeased at how her weight decreased in the past few days.
“I know. I'm just pretty exhausted lately,” came Sophie's answer.
Rehearsing took up a lot of her energy.
Besides, she had to tend to various matters regarding TS Entertainment. It was no wonder she felt worn out.
“You'll begin your university life soon. By the way, have you decided which university to apply to?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
If she decides to head to Anglandur, I need to deal with my affairs locally. I will never let her head there alone. Nicholas is there, after all.
Despite not knowing her past with Nicholas, Tristan wasn't about to let Sophie head there alone.
“Jipsdale University,” Sophie replied. She wanted to stay in the country.
Tristan was touched to hear her answer.
“Is it because of me? Sophie, you don't have to change anything for me. I hope you'll make the choice that you want,” he said.
She shouldn't make do, for this matter concerns her tertiary education. I can follow her to Anglandur. It will only take four years for her to graduate. I can spare that much time.
Sophie told him, “It doesn't matter where I study. All universities are the same to me.”
She was good at self-learning, so it didn't matter which university she applied to.
Nevertheless, she would have to reject Barney's invitation.
“Are you sure it's not because of me?” Tristan refused to believe her.
“Well, you played a part in my decision-making, but you weren't the most crucial reason. Studying abroad isn't the only option, right?”
“Okay!” Tristan nodded. He was satisfied to hear that he was part of the reason she decided to study at a local university.
She cares about me enough to consider me when she makes a decision. That's enough.
Tristan was pretty satisfied with the current situation.
The next day, Sophie went to TS Entertainment. When only Mark and she were around, she decided it was time for them to talk.
“I called you yesterday, but you didn't pick up. Where did you go?” she asked nonchalantly.
“I had some personal stuff to deal with,” Mark told her.
He didn't know that she had discovered his background.
“Mark, be honest with me. I know your identity now!” Sophie said. She did not intend to keep it a secret anymore.
Mark had no idea what to say.
“Sophie, I didn't hide it from you on purpose. My identity has always been a secret,” he explained.
His father had kept their relationship a secret to protect him.
“I know,” Sophie assured him.
There were many things he couldn't decide on his own.
She asked, “Do you want to take over Emerald Gang?” That was the only thing she was concerned about.
Sophie might be the only person who cares whether I'm willing. The rest don't even care.
“Well, that's my responsibility. My father is the leader of Emerald Gang, so I can't just ignore it,” he said.
After all, it concerned many people's livelihoods. His father was no longer young, so it was time for him to step down from the position.
What would happen to his father's subordinates after the old man's retirement? That was one of his concern.
Mark wasn't someone who was able to act recklessly.
His father was generous enough to allow him to venture into the entertainment industry for the past few years.
“Don't think that way. You're not the only one who can lead the gang. If you don't want to return, we can find someone else suitable to manage the organization,” Sophie told him.
Sometimes, things might be extremely complicated, but there were times when things were reasonably simple.
“My father won't want me to do that. Emerald Gang is everything to him, so he won't give it up to someone else,” Mark revealed.
He truly didn't want to run Emerald Gang but had no other choice.
I must protect the people by my side. I don't want them to get hurt. At all.
“What about your own dream? Are you going to give up? Don't tell me you're satisfied. I know how much you love singing,” Sophie countered.
He had a passion for singing. That was precisely why he persevered for so long.
Mark said nothing.
She's right. My dream is for The Wheelers to become the best rock band in Chanaea and even the whole world. The Wheelers is my dream! I found my dream, the love of my life, and my comrades
there.
Sophie offered, “If it's because of your father, I can talk to him.”
“It doesn't matter who talks to him. There's no way he'll change his mind,” Mark replied despondently. His father was a stubborn and vicious man. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to rein in Emerald Gang for that long. “Sophie, promise me that you won't take the risk. I don't want you to get involved in this,” Mark pleaded.
Sophie shook her head. “Mark, we're comrades.”
“That's exactly why I don't want to drag you into my mess,” he insisted. He cherished all members of The Wheelers, so he didn't want any of them to get hurt. “Promise me you won't go to my dad. I can handle my own matters. I've never asked about your past, right?”