Ch. 81..90
Chapter 81 Be Good
Sophie was speechless. The wall’s not even that high. I’m not afraid at all, okay?
“Which class do you belong to? Don’t do anything stupid. We can talk this out.” The security thought Sophie wanted to end her life and was panicking already.
Sophie jumped down from the wall without turning back.
Tristan was stubborn and insisted on catching her.
He knew how physically capable she was, but he still couldn’t help but worry when he saw her performing such a dangerous act.
Sophie coughed, reminding him to put herself down.
However, it was as though he didn’t hear her at all as he carried her to his silver Lamborghini.
“I can walk by myself, Mr. Tristan,” she uttered. It’s not like I don’t have legs.
Tristan didn’t let her go until she was inside the car. “Don’t do anything that dangerous again.”
On the other side, Felix had finally found his voice again, though it was slightly trembling. “You’re getting bolder now, Ysabelle! You even know how to climb a wall now!” If I wasn’t here, what would’ve happened if she broke her arm or leg?
Ysabelle dug into her ears. “Why are you speaking so loudly, Felix? I feel like I’m turning deaf! I was just climbing the wall so I can skip classes. Why are you panicking so hard?”
“I don’t think you should stay with Sophie in the future anymore, Ysabelle. You’ve learned some bad habits. Look at you right now—”
“I’m warning you, Felix. Don’t you dare speak ill of Soph. Otherwise, I’ll stop talking to you.” She was very insistent on protecting Sophie. No one is allowed to badmouth her, not even Felix!
Seeing how serious she appeared, Felix shut his mouth. Who do you think I’m doing this for?
“Hmph!” She then jerked open the door to the passenger seat and went in.
He had no choice but to be their driver resignedly.
“Why did you two come here, Uncle Tristan? Is Lombard Group going bankrupt? You seem to be very free lately!” Ysabelle asked.
Felix was speechless. Only she has the guts to say something like that. Who else will look forward to their family going bankrupt?
“Shut your mouth, Ysabelle,” Tristan ordered.
“Well, you see, Letitia is causing trouble again, and this time, she’s gunning for Sophie. Mr. Tristan was worried about Sophie, so he came looking for her.” As Tristan’s subordinate, Felix had to speak if his boss didn’t want to.
The moment he finished, he could feel an air of coldness coming from his back.
That was Tristan threatening him.
“No need to care about what those comments are saying, Soph,” Ysabelle comforted.
It was because she saw Letitia’s recording that she wanted to bring her friend with her and skip school. She didn’t want her friend to feel down about what the inflammatory comments were saying, whether it came from Letitia’s fans or just random netizens.
Things got so bad that even their classmates were cursing Sophie.
It made her feel awful, but she alone couldn’t control what other people say about Sophie, which was why she suggested skipping school.
Sophie pulled out her phone, logged into Twitter, and saw Letitia’s post that read: I’m really afraid of dying!
Below that sentence was the audio file of the “conversation” they had at the restaurant.
Even though Sophie only uttered a single sentence in the recording, and she didn’t admit to anything, everyone believed Letitia was the victim.
They were all convinced Sophie was really posing a threat to Letitia’s life.
The comments underneath the post even insulted all three generations of the Tanner family.
Some netizens were even calling for a witch-hunt against Sophie to avenge Letitia.
“This Letitia is going overboard. I really want to tear her to pieces right away!” Ysabelle spoke angrily.
Sophie closed Twitter.
“How about I send people to tell Letitia to take down the post and control the comments?” Felix also thought the things people were saying about Sophie were going a little overboard.
“No need.” Sophie grinned.
“What’s wrong with you, Soph? Are you all right? We believe you, you know?” Ysabelle was worried her friend was driven mad by anger.
“I’m really fine. Transfix Cosmetics is about to launch its new product. Since Letitia is so eager to help me out, I’ll just let her.”
“How is she helping you, Soph? She’s clearly trying to hurt you!”
“I have a plan. Letitia wants to be famous, right? Well, I’ll help her out with that just this once. I’ll make her famous in the whole world.”
When Felix turned back, he saw Sophie’s malicious smile.
In the past, he thought Tristan was the only one he shouldn’t piss off.
However, at that moment, after seeing her expression, he knew he couldn’t afford to cross Sophie either.
When Letitia saw the comments the netizens were posting, her grin turned wider and wider.
Ever since the start of the incident, she had received multiple invitations from a few directors.
As expected, a person really can’t go far without knowing how to make headlines about themselves in the entertainment industry. This is finally my time to shine. With this, no one can stop me. I will get famous! When she saw another call on her phone, her smile became brighter.
In the past, I’m the one who has to butter Juan up. Now he’s taking the initiative to call me!
“Mr. Quigley.” Letitia still wanted to act prideful.
“Are you insane, Letitia? Didn’t I tell you not to mess with Sophie? If you want to get destroyed, go ahead but don’t drag me down with you. I’m telling you, from here on out, I have nothing to do with you!” Juan yelled.
She was utterly dumbfounded.
“Are you living in your own fantasy right now? What an ignorant woman.” He then hung up the phone.
Letitia was struck dumb at his words. What the f*ck is going on?
“Coward! What can the Tanner family do to me?” She gritted her teeth. Still, even without him, the resources that I currently possess will make me famous! He may be afraid, but I’m not! As the saying goes, no pain, no gain!
Tristan brought Ysabelle and Sophie to Lombard Group’s headquarters.
He asked his assistant to prepare lots of desserts and fruits for them.
Ysabelle smiled bitterly when she saw the desserts and fruits on the table. “Do we look like we’re very hungry, Soph?”
She was so full from lunch that she didn’t have the appetite to eat.
“Probably!” Sophie replied.
“You two stay here. I have a meeting later. Once my meeting is over, we’ll have dinner and I’ll take you two to a concert.”
“A concert!” Ysabelle wasn’t very enthusiastic about it since she liked contemporary music better.
“Be good.” Tristan was worried Sophie would be in danger if she went out alone since the netizens were emotional. Therefore, he didn’t want her to go out alone.
Sophie knew he was saying that to her.
However, she wasn’t exactly a good girl.
After Tristan left for his meeting, Ysabelle lay on the couch. “Do you think my uncle likes you, Soph? I’ve never seen him treat other people so nicely before. He never even treated me, his own niece, that well!”
She turned to Sophie. “What about you, Soph? What do you think about my uncle?” It’s not too bad if Soph ends up with Uncle Tristan. This way, we’ll be together forever!
Before she could get the answer she wanted, Sophie’s phone rang.
When Sophie saw it was from Yale, she immediately declined the call.
The moment she did that, he called again and again.
She got annoyed and answered it.
“What are you doing, Sophie? Do you know you made your grandpa so angry that he was sent to the hospital?” Yale’s voice was heard on the other end.
Chapter 82 Embrace
“What did you say?” Sophie’s voice sounded exceptionally deep.
“I said you pissed off your grandpa so much that he almost died!” When Yale finished, he hung up the phone. I hope Dad finally realizes how big of a mistake he had made!
Sophie jumped down from the couch with her phone in hand and headed outside.
“Where are you going, Soph?” Ysabelle asked while she was barely able to react to Sophie’s quick movements.
She immediately tried to follow her friend.
“Wait here, Ysabelle. Tell your uncle I have a matter I need to attend to, and that I have to leave now,” Sophie replied.
Ysabelle grabbed her friend’s hand. I’ve never seen such an expression on her face before!
It scared her. “What’s going on, Sophie? Tell me about it or I’ll follow you.”
“It’s nothing. My grandfather is sick, so now I’m heading to the hospital to visit him. You don’t need to follow me.” When Sophie finished, she swiftly left.
Ysabelle stood dumbfounded, unsure of what to do. What do I do? Uncle Tristan is still in the meeting, and I don’t know when it’ll end!
Sophie exited Lombard Group, hailed a taxi, entered the vehicle, and immediately called Butterfly. “Help me find my grandfather’s location.”
When she finished, she sent Josiah’s ID card and phone number to Butterfly.
Butterfly could hear the panic in her voice, so she immediately turned around and typed on her keyboard.
Upon finding out the information Sophie wanted, she sent it to her via a text message: Jipsdale Hospital, VIP Room No. 9. ”Are you all right, Phantom?”
“I’m fine. I’m hanging up the call now.”
When Sophie arrived at the hospital, she went straight to her grandfather’s ward.
Willow, Charmaine, and Yale were standing outside of the ward.
When Yale saw Sophie, he bolted toward her and attempted to slap her.
She grabbed his hand and stared at him coldly.
“Don’t mess with me.” Her voice sounded really cold.
“Look at what you’ve done, Sophie! You know what, I think you shouldn’t have returned at all! You should’ve just died in Horington.” Yale was brutal with his words.
“It doesn’t matter to you if I’m dead or not. I’m in a bad mood right now, so you’d better not open your mouth again!” Sophie flung his hand away.
“He’s your father, Sophie! How can you speak to him like that?” Charmaine approached her. “This whole thing is your fault in the first place. What right do you have for shouting here? Have you looked at what a mess you’ve caused Tanner Group to become?”
“The Tanner family really doesn’t welcome you, Sophie,” Willow sneered. Sophie is a jinx. I want to see how long she can continue to act tough.
It was then the doctor walked out.
Sophie ignored the three of them and approached the doctor. “How’s my grandpa, doctor?”
The doctor answered, “There are no major issues with him. That’s how people are when they are old. He’s fine. In fact, he has already woken up and calling for you to go in!”
Sophie nodded and entered the ward.
Yale followed behind too. If anything happens to Dad, I mustn’t let Sophie have Tanner Group!
When Josiah saw how pale Sophie was, he smiled. “No need to appear so serious, Soph! I’m fine. It’s just that my blood pressure was slightly on the high side.”
She approached him and grabbed his hand. “You’re going to be fine, Grandpa.”
“Mhm, I’m fine.” Ever since Sophie was a child, Josiah had doted on her.
He knew she was a complicated person and that ordinary people wouldn’t be able to worm their way into her heart.
However, if someone did manage to secure a place in her heart, she would give her all to him.
“Do you see now, Dad? Sophie isn’t at all suitable to enter Tanner Group! I hope you’ll hand her shares to me,” Yale suggested.
“You can leave now, Yale.” Sophie frowned. Even at this moment, all he sees is still power and money. A person like him doesn’t deserve to stand here.
“No matter what happens, I’m still your father, Sophie! How dare you speak to me like that!” Yale was so angry that he wanted to choke her to death.
“Get out of here, Yale! All of you should go home! I only need Soph to accompany me. This ward isn’t that big either. It can’t have too many people inside,” Josiah ordered.
“Are you still trying to defend her, Dad? When are you going to stop protecting her?” Yale retorted.
“Yeah! You’re sick, Grandpa. How can we go back in peace? I want to accompany you, too,” Willow added.
“Dad, Sophie is still young. She doesn’t know anything! How can she take care of you? I think it’s better for me to stay and—”
“Are you all ignoring me right now? I’ve said so much, yet none of you seem to listen at all!” Josiah angrily sat up on his bed with much difficulty.
“Fine. Since you don’t want to see us here, we’ll leave.” Yale was disappointed and angry at Josiah, too.
Seeing that Yale was about to leave, Charmaine didn’t have the nerve to stay any longer. Hence she pulled Willow away with her.
It wasn’t until the three of them were outside that Willow said, “What kind of spell did Sophie put Grandpa under, Mom? Even after what she did to Tanner Group, Grandpa still trusts her! Why?”
“All right, that’s enough. Your dad’s already not happy. It doesn’t matter to you what will happen to the Tanner family. Once you get married to the Laird family, you’ll have so much more than what you currently possess,” Charmaine dismissed.
Willow’s fist tightened. “You know how impressive the Laird family is, Mom. If I join their family with nothing, do you think they will take me in with high regard? Don’t you know how important dowry is nowadays?”
“I know, and your dowry won’t be anything short of impressive.” Charmaine felt like she was getting a headache, but there was nothing she could do.
Only Josiah and Sophie were left in the room.
“Come sit next to me, Soph,” Josiah requested.
Sophie pulled a stool closer and sat on it next to the bed. “You should take care of yourself, Grandpa! No need to think about anything else. There’s still me!”
He smiled. “When you reach my age, you’ll find many things becoming unimportant. As you can see, I’m getting really old now. I can let go of anything but you. I just hope you’ll find happiness.”
She was his favorite child.
Sophie wasn’t exactly a talkative person, so all she did was nod.
However, her heart was turning cold.
She knew how well he had been treating her.
Seeing how heavy her expression was, Josiah joked, “Actually, I don’t want to die yet! Not until I see you getting married to a good man, at least.”
“You will, Grandpa. I want you to personally hand me over to the person I love.”
When he thought about that day, his eyes turned red. God, there’s nothing else I want more than a little more time for me to see her get married.
“What do you want to eat, Grandpa? I’ll buy it for you.” Sophie couldn’t bear seeing her grandfather like that, so she wanted to find an excuse to leave.
“There’s no need for that, Sophie. The butler got that covered. You just need to accompany me.”
“Mhm. You should sleep for a while, Grandpa! I’ll stay right here with you. I won’t leave.” Sophie’s voice sounded soft.
“Okay.” Josiah fell asleep shortly as he was tired.
It wasn’t until someone knocked on the door that she turned to open the door.
When she did, she saw an anguished Tristan.
He immediately hugged her.
Chapter 83 I Am Chasing After Her
Being held inside Tristan’s embrace and taking in his unique scent made Sophie feel safe.
“Is your Grandpa okay?” Tristan rushed over to her location when he heard what was going on with her.
At that moment, he didn’t want to think about anything else other than protecting her and staying by her side.
“Not too good.” Sophie knew her grandfather’s condition must be serious to warrant a stay in the hospital.
She also knew how stubborn he could get due to his past experience as a soldier. He would always think his body was still fine and unwilling to admit that age was catching up.
Everything she said at that moment would be pointless.
Tristan simply grabbed her hand and comforted her. “I’ll stay here with you.”
No one has any say in the circle of life and death.
Along that way, we would go through sickness and hardships, and there was really nothing we could do about it other than endure and embrace it.
“Mr. Tristan, you don’t—”
“There’s no need to act tough all the time, Ms. Tanner.” With him around, she could act more gently.
Sophie wanted to say something, but Josiah woke up at that moment.
“Is that your friend, Soph? Since he’s here, why don’t you introduce him to me?” he asked.
Tristan stepped closer to Josiah with Sophie.
“Hello, Old Mr. Tanner. I’m Tristan.” Before Sophie could introduce him, he introduced himself.
Josiah studied the young man in front of him in detail. He’s certainly good-looking, and it seems like he’d served in the military before.
“Have you served in the army?”
“For a year,” Tristan replied.
“Good, that’s good.” Josiah tended to feel more friendly toward people who served in the military before.
“You’re Sophie’s…” He raised his eyebrow slightly. Everything about him seems pretty good, though he definitely looks older than Soph.
“He’s my classmate’s uncle.” Sophie spoke up.
“Ah, uncle!” Josiah clearly didn’t believe that.
“I’m chasing after her right now.” Tristan didn’t at all hide his intention.
She was speechless. This man is so blunt!
“How old are you this year?” Josiah was getting serious because he quite liked the young man.
“I’m twenty-eight years old.” Tristan didn’t realize he panicked a little when he said that.
“Twenty-eight years old! Our Soph is only eighteen.” Josiah was a little concerned about the age gap. “However, as long as she likes you, I don’t mind. Just take good care of her.”
Sophie grabbed an apple and peeled it. Her hands were so agile that the fruit appeared as though it was dancing in her palms.
Once she cut the apple into slices, she stabbed toothpicks into them and served them.
Tristan continued to talk to Josiah.
Both of them had a pretty good time talking with each other, which made the old man like the younger man even more.
It wasn’t until they were alone in the room that Josiah said, “Even though you’re a decade older than Soph, I quite like you, Tristan. Good luck!”
While he liked Tristan, he could tell Sophie didn’t seem ready yet. If Tristan wants to marry her, there’s still a long way ahead for him.
“I’ll do my best.” Tristan smiled.
“I only have one request. Soph is still young, so don’t you dare bully her.”
“I understand.” Tristan knew what Josiah was implying and gave the old man his promise.
“I’m a little tired now. You should take Soph out for a meal! I’m not hungry, and I don’t really have the appetite.”
Josiah loved Sophie the most, and so he would always think for her.
“What do you want to eat, Grandpa? I’ll buy some for you,” Sophie asked after she returned to the ward.
Since she was already at the hospital, she wouldn’t be able to eat in peace if she didn’t see her grandfather eating well.
“Anything of what you can find will be good! I’ll be sleeping now.”
“Okay.”
Tristan put the blanket over Josiah’s body. If my dad sees me in the act, I bet he’ll be furious.
When Sophie returned from fetching water, she saw him covering Josiah’s body with a blanket.
At that moment, she felt touched.
When Tristan turned back and saw her holding a kettle, he went over to her side and grabbed it. “You should’ve let me do this.”
“My grandpa likes you,” Sophie stated.
“I prefer if you like me instead.”
She was speechless. Is this how he chases after women?
“I’ve never chased after a woman before, Sophie. You’re my first, and my last. I don’t have any experience, but I want to give you the best I can offer.”
“Mr. Tristan—”
“All right, it’s fine. You’re still young. I’m not in a hurry. I can wait.”
Both of them were experiencing the same kind of feeling, a feeling of longing for each other.
“Right now, I need to fulfill my promise to Old Mr. Tanner and take you out for a meal,” Tristan said.
“I’m not hungry.”
“You should still eat even if you’re not hungry. People don’t eat just because they’re hungry!” He knew Josiah wouldn’t want her to suffer because of him.
Tristan pushed Sophie out of the hospital and brought her to a nearby restaurant.
The decor was very elegant.
After the food they ordered arrived, he kept putting food on her plate.
As for Sophie, she ate quietly.
After their meal was over, Tristan asked the chef to prepare three mild-flavored dishes for Josiah.
Upon returning to the hospital, they saw the old man had woken up.
He was smiling at them as they entered the ward.
Tristan proceeded to lay out the three dishes he bought on the table.
While the dishes were mild-flavored, the chef spent a lot of effort making them look good.
Tristan ladled a bowl of mushroom soup for Josiah before Sophie held the bowl and fed the soup to her grandfather with a spoon.
Seeing how naturally the two of them were interacting with each other, Josiah began to feel like they were made for each other.
“Open your mouth, Grandpa.” Sophie was never good at serving other people or having great patience, but she was exceptionally patient when taking care of her grandfather.
Josiah opened his mouth and drank a spoonful of soup.
“Mhm. The taste is pretty good. It reminds me of the food I eat in the military. You sure are thoughtful, Tanny.”
Tanny? Sophie turned to glance at Tristan. Grandpa’s probably the only person in Jipsdale who calls Tristan that!
“I’m glad you like it, Old Mr. Tanner. The chef of the restaurant we went to was a retired member of the platoon you served with before,” Tristan replied.
Josiah became even more satisfied with Tristan. If he’s treating me this nicely, doesn’t it mean he’s very interested in Sophie?
He was having a pretty good appetite and managed to finish half of the food on his plate.
Sophie didn’t dare to tell him to finish the rest since eating too much at that time of day might lead to stomach problems.
After the old man finished his meal, Tristan chatted with him further.
“I think you two should head back now! There are nurses and butlers around to take care of me,” Josiah urged.
“I want to stay with you, Grandpa,” Sophie retorted.
“Listen to me, okay? Don’t you have classes tomorrow?”
“It’s fine if I don’t attend school for one day,” she said without a care.
“It’s not convenient for a girl like you to stay here, Soph! You should go back.”
“I’ll send you back first before returning here to accompany Old Mr. Tanner,” Tristan offered.
“Mr. Tristan—” Sophie felt it wasn’t necessary for him to do that.
“You can come over during the day. It’s more convenient for me to take care of him during the night.”
She stayed silent.
“All right, that’s enough. I’m fine! I don’t need people to take care of me. You should send her back home now!” Josiah said.
Chapter 84 Stunned By His Handsomeness
Since Sophie could not argue with Josiah, she had no choice but to go home. “Grandpa, have a good rest. I will come here again tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to come here again. I’m going home tomorrow.” Josiah did not wish to waste his time staying in the hospital. He believed his body was failing due to old age, and it was pointless to keep trying to save it.
Sophie heard him and immediately paused her step. “Grandpa, don’t be stubborn. Since you are already in the hospital, you should stay here and get proper treatment. You are not allowed to leave without the doctor’s permission.”
“All right, I will listen to you. My Soph knows best.” Josiah did not insist on leaving the hospital.
To him, it did not matter where he lived. He just did not want to make them worry about him.
After leaving the hospital, Sophie got into the car but did not say anything.
Tristan started the car and sent her to Wisteria Apartments.
“What’s wrong? Are you worried about Old Mr. Tanner? He will be fine. I will assign a few specialists to give him a proper check-up tomorrow,” Tristan said.
“Thank you.” Sophie did not refuse him. It looks like I have to contact the international medical association.
“Don’t mention it,” Tristan replied.
“Have a safe drive home.” Sophie was about to get out of the car.
“Would you like me to stay with you?” Tristan would like to stay with her if she needed him.
“No, you should go home.” Sophie refused his offer straight away.
“All right. Good night.” Tristan did not insist on staying out of respect for her choice.
After Tristan left, Sophie headed straight to her room and gave Arius a call.
However, Arius did not pick up even after she had called for a long time. Since Sophie was too impatient to wait, she turned on her computer and tracked Arius’s location.
He’s in Anglandur. It shouldn’t take him too much time to return here.
In actuality, Arius was taking a bath when Sophie called. He saw her missed call after coming out of the bathroom and returned the call immediately.
“What is the matter? Have you changed your mind? Didn’t I say that you have natural talents in medicine? So, will you be joining our association?” If she joins us, she will be able to interact with the foremost specialists in the medical field. I believe she will become a legend in the medical field.
“Shut up.” Sophie could not stand his chattering.
Arius was rendered speechless.
He had a respectable standing in the world.
Yet, he could not help but turn cowardly before Sophie.
“When will you be free to make a trip to Jipsdale?” Sophie asked.
“Why? Are you unwell?” She is as fit as a horse. I don’t think she can get sick.
“Are you coming or not?” Sophie replied impatiently.
“Yes. Since you asked me to go to Jipsdale, how can I say no? I will go there after I’m done with the matters here,” Arius answered.
“Sure.”
Arius asked, “But seriously, are you not planning to join the medical association?” The medical association is such a wonderful place!
“Let’s talk about it another time.” Sophie still had a lot of things to deal with, so she could not leave Jipsdale yet.
However, she was relieved that Arius would be coming to Jipsdale.
Arius was an expert in all kinds of diseases, and there was no health condition that he could not cure. Furthermore, he had the backing of the whole medical association.
Meanwhile, Tristan returned home and bathed before sending Sophie a message.
Tristan texted: Rest early!
Sophie saw the message and replied without thinking: You too.
Then, she took a bath and went to bed.
The following day, Sophie came to school and found some people whispering behind her back.
Hearing how people criticized Sophie, Ysabelle felt a strong urge to fight with them. “Soph, these people have nothing better to do.”
What is wrong with people nowadays? They can’t form an opinion but follow the crowd blindly and fall for Letitia’s pathetic act.
“Just ignore them,” Sophie said.
Seeing Sophie in a sullen mood, Ysabelle asked with concern, “How is your grandpa?”
“Mmm,” Sophie responded.
What does ‘Mmm’ mean? Ysabelle could not understand Sophie’s response, but she did not question her further.
Suddenly, Ysabelle pointed forward and said, “Soph, Bailey is there.”
Sophie glanced in the direction Ysabelle pointed and saw Bailey dressed in a school uniform, waiting for someone quietly by the road.
At that moment, Bailey noticed Sophie and ran to her. “Sophie, are you all right? Why didn’t you go to the lab yesterday?”
“Something came up at home,” Sophie answered.
“Do you need my help?” Bailey hoped he could be of help to Sophie.
“It’s all right, Bailey. I won’t be going to the physics lab temporarily. Can you inform Mr. Elswick for me?” Sophie replied.
“That sounds serious!” Bailey appeared thoughtful. “Sophie, I hope you won’t give up on physics no matter what happens.”
Bailey wished Sophie could continue to advance in doing physics research with him.
However, Sophie did not answer his question but said, “Class is about to start.”
Then, she dragged Ysabelle and headed to the classroom.
Other students from Senior Class 1 were disappointed to see Bailey talking amicably to Sophie.
“Bailey, did you not check the Web?”
“Yeah! You should check the Web and read the articles properly. People like Sophie do not deserve to live in this world.”
“That’s right. Sophie thinks she has the right to bully others because she is rich. People like her should die.”
“Have you all said enough?” Bailey frowned. What has Sophie ever done to them? They have no right to say all such nonsense against her.
“Bailey, we are concerned about you.” His classmates still refused to give up.
“I don’t need that,” Bailey retorted.
After school ended at noon, Sophie came out of the school and saw Tristan’s car. Thus, she opened the door and got in.
“Why are you here?” Sophie asked.
“I’m going with you to see Grandpa,” Tristan answered calmly.
“Mr. Tristan, he is my grandpa and not yours, so stop calling him that,” Sophie argued.
However, Tristan was not bothered by her words and continued calmly, “I have arranged a few specialists to give your grandpa a check-up. Let’s go there together to learn more about his condition.”
Once they arrived at the hospital, Tristan and Sophie went to the ward to see Josiah.
When they came to the room, Willow and Charmaine were there too. Willow was feeding Josiah lunch.
“Tanny is here,” Josiah greeted warmly upon seeing Tristan.
Willow turned around and nearly stopped breathing when she saw Tristan’s handsome face.
It was her first time seeing Tristan this close.
Previously, she thought Mason was handsome, but now, his appearance paled to Tristan’s.
“Grandpa, Sophie and I have come to see you,” Tristan said.
“Didn’t I tell you that I am healthy? There is nothing wrong with me,” Josiah protested.
“Who are…” Charmaine had never met Tristan before and looked at Sophie and Tristan puzzledly.
Josiah was a little exasperated seeing Charmaine’s behavior. “Charmaine, I have people taking care of me here. Since Willow has to paint and sit for her university entrance exam soon, you don’t have to bring her here every day. Let her focus on her work.”
“All right, Dad!” Since Josiah had told her to leave, Charmaine did not continue with her question about Tristan.
Since Old Mr. Tanner calls him Tanny, it shows Tanny doesn’t have an influential background. There is nothing special about him other than being handsome. Thus, he can’t compare to Mason.
“Willow, since Grandpa doesn’t need us here, we should go home!” Charmaine stood up to leave. “Willow!”
Charmaine could not help but frown. How can she stare at a man like that? How embarrassing!
Willow returned to her senses with a flush on her cheeks. “Mom, what is the matter?”
“Let’s go.” Charmaine was disappointed with Willow’s behavior. I spent so much effort training her, hoping she would become a socialite in the high society and marry into the Laird family. She has disappointed me today.
Chapter 85 The Product Launch
“Willow, I’m very disappointed with you today,” Charmaine said the moment they left the hospital ward.
“I didn’t even do anything!” Why’s she angry at me? ”That man with Sophie is actually very good- looking, isn’t he?”
She was just an eighteen-year-old girl, after all. Wasn’t it common to enjoy seeing eye candy every now and then?
“What else do you have in that brain of yours? How embarrassing would it be if someone saw you ogling at him like that?”
Willow fell silent.
“Your grandfather called him ‘Tanny’! What sort of man worth his weight in gold would ever allow someone else to call him that so casually? Looks are nothing in the end. Power and privilege are what really matters.”
That man did look rather intimidating, but Charmaine didn’t think of Sophie as someone who could be in the company of anyone with power.
“Okay, I get it. I won’t do it again.”
She’s right! This is the Laird family we’re talking about, the family of everyone’s dreams. If Mrs. Laird didn’t assume I had saved Mason, I would never have gotten this chance!
“Good. Mrs. Laird invited us to dinner tonight. Come back earlier, okay? I’ll take you to get dolled up.”
She would only be counted as a member of the upper class society if she managed to get on good terms with the Laird family.
–
Sophie poured a glass of water for Josiah, and he drank a big gulp.
“Soph, I’m really okay. You should be spending your time in school studying, not in this hospital.”
“Don’t worry as it’s lunchtime now.”
“That’s even more important. You should rest too.”
“Okay then. I’ll be going now. You should rest too, okay?”
Sophie didn’t tell Josiah that she was going to talk to a doctor.
Since he didn’t want her to know, then she would pretend that she didn’t know anything.
“We’ll be heading off now, Mr. Tanner.” Tristan waved at Josiah.
“Go ahead! Don’t worry, there are a lot of people taking care of me here.”
Tristan and Sophie arrived at the specialist’s office where more than ten specialists were already waiting.
“Hello, Mr. Tristan.”
The director bowed respectfully when he saw Tristan.
“What exactly is wrong with Mr. Tanner?” Tristan asked directly.
“We’ve already done a full scan for Mr. Tanner. The reason behind his fainting is because there were still bullet fragments in his brain.”
It was probably a mistake on the doctor’s part and had most likely been left behind during the surgery.
Sophie closed her eyes. She was extremely interested in medicine and the director’s rough explanation was already more than enough for her to imagine.
“What’s your plan?” Tristan hated seeing that expression on her face.
“The only solution is surgery, but due to the location of the fragments being extremely unique, it will be a highly risky surgery. The important thing is that there haven’t been any doctors in the country who have been willing to do such a surgery.”
The surgery was an extremely detailed one and highly depended on the chief surgeon. There were barely any doctors across the world who dared to do such a surgery, let alone in the country.
“So you’re saying you guys don’t have a plan?” Tristan said, clearly agitated.
The director fell silent, not daring to speak. Almost everything could be settled by hard work, but surgeries were something that no one dared to experiment on.
“Okay, I understand. Please leave us alone for now,” Sophie finally said.
All the doctors sighed in relief. They were all terrified of facing Tristan’s wrath.
“Don’t worry. I’ll find another specialist.”
“There’s no need for that.”
“Sophie…”
Tristan never knew how to comfort others. He felt as if anything he said would be useless in this situation.
“I’m fine.”
She couldn’t change the fact that there were no doctors in the country who could do it, but that didn’t mean it was impossible after all.
“I’ve already contacted Arius,” she continued.
Arius was famous in Chanaea as the youngest doctor in the world who made groundbreaking contributions to the field of medical science.
“Arius Gullifer?”
Tristan had heard that name once, but he never thought that Sophie would be able to get him.
He was actually already thinking of contacting Arius, but it seemed like she had beaten him to it.
The first time they met, she had already taken out a bullet for him.
What exactly is the relationship between her and Arius?
However, it wasn’t the time to say such things. He simply remained silent.
Still, he couldn’t help but think about what a unique girl he had set his sights on.
She was practically surrounded by elite people.
It seemed like he would have to keep a close eye on her. He might lose her to someone else if he didn’t watch her closely.
Time flew by and in the blink of an eye, it was time for Transfix Cosmetics’ product launch.
Wilma had been working overtime for the past few weeks and had even begun wishing for more hours in a day simply so that she could get more things done.
She really felt like she had already done everything she could.
“We won’t lose this time, Ms. Linker.”
“Yeah! We’ve already done our best.”
“Let’s keep working hard, everybody. I’m confident in our new products this time.”
Wilma continued to boost their morale. After having prepared those new products for the last three years, she was very confident.
“Oh, no. Letitia is coming today for a press conference too, and she picked the spot right in front of us.”
“Crap! How much does she hate our company?”
“She just wants to push us into a corner at this point. Her press conference was scheduled to start half an hour before ours.”
All the reporters they had invited would definitely have swarmed over to Letitia by then.
“What do we do, Ms. Linker?” Plenty of people weren’t looking forward to their latest products. They were beginning to wonder why they were even hyping themselves up.
At that moment, Wilma was paler than a sheet of paper.
“Ms. Linker?”
The others began to lose faith at the sight of her expression.
Suddenly, Sophie appeared.
It was almost as if Wilma had seen a savior.
“Ms. Tanner, I-”
“I understand.” She had already done her homework on the way there.
“I’m really sorry, Ms. Tanner. I didn’t expect this to happen,” Wilma said apologetically. She had really done her best. Why are things just not working out?
“Don’t be sorry, Ms. Linker. You are not to blame for this. Most importantly, you have to trust me. Our product launch will be very successful.”
Even though Sophie was just a fresh and young eighteen-year-old, Wilma felt a miraculous sense of relief at the sound of her reassurance.
“Okay! No matter what, I will always be right behind you, Ms, Tanner.” Wilma was finally confident again. No matter what, she would always stand with Sophie.
“Good. Buck up, everyone! We will delay the product launch by two hours.”
“Ms. Tanner, there are no reporters here right now.”
It wouldn’t matter even if the reporters came three, four or ten hours later.
“Do whatever Ms. Tanner tells you to,” Wilma said to her subordinates.
“Good. Everyone, be on your highest alert! Also, Cecelia will be coming to the event.”
Transfix Cosmetics’ new products would definitely make their name.
Now, all that mattered was how popular it would be, and that depended on its quality.
Letitia and Dream Cosmetics must be feeling really proud at that moment.
The happier they were right now, the more they would regret it after the press conference.
Chapter 86 Turn The Table
“Ms. Summers, Transfix Cosmetics has pushed back their product launch.”
“Luckily we left Transfix Cosmetics along with Ms. Summers back then. We would have already lost our jobs by now if we had stayed!”
“Wilma is insane! How could she put so much trust in an eighteen-year-old?”
“She’s completely hopeless, isn’t she?”
Rachel couldn’t help but feel overjoyed as the girls around her began discussing Wilma’s dreadful situation.
They were right, after all.
Back then, she had always been outshined by everything Wilma did. Now was her chance to shine.
“Okay, everybody! Now the most important thing is to do our jobs well. We will make the new products a success! Moreover, Lorelei is extremely popular now.”
Rachel was determined to make Wilma and the others regret everything they had done.
Letitia’s press conference had already begun.
“I’d like to thank everyone for attending this press conference today. Recently, the conflict between Transfix Cosmetics and I have taken up a lot of public resources. For that, I would like to apologize, and I also hope that this will be put to an end today.”
Letitia stood up and bowed deeply.
“What a polite girl! I haven’t seen a bow that deep in a long time.”
“Yeah! Transfix Cosmetics is a real jerk!”
“We should just boycott Transfix Cosmetics and Tanner Group altogether.”
Someone in the crowd began to holler, and others began to follow suit.
“Yes! We have to protect our little fairy so that she doesn’t get hurt!”
Little fairy?
Letitia’s manager glanced at her. Just how confident is this girl about her looks? How could she have the face to let others call her little fairy?
“Regardless of the truth, I hope my dear fans will stop stressing out over this topic. Today, I would like to announce some good news to everyone. I am about to start filming a new movie! I hope you guys will be able to direct your attention to that instead and support me in my new role.”
“Of course, we’ll support our little fairy!” `
The crowd was still clamoring in her favor.
Letitia stood up and bowed deeply once again.
Based on how popular she was right now, her new movie would definitely take off.
She had been dreaming of that day for the longest time. Sophie’s name is probably getting dragged down the drain right now!
She couldn’t help but smile.
Does that high school student really think she could do anything to me? Even if the sky collapsed, her fans would be there holding it up for her.
Letitia’s manager took her to one side after her press conference had ended.
“Letitia, I have to warn you. You may be popular now, but it’s never good to offend potential investors. Everything in this modern society is fueled by them.”
“We have the popularity now! We don’t have to worry about not having the capital anymore.”
After tasting a brief glimpse of success, she was practically on cloud nine. As far as she was concerned, she was already an A-list actress.
“Letitia, Transfix Cosmetics has just started their press conference.”
“Who cares? Transfix Cosmetics is done for. No one will ever buy their new products.”
“T-that’s not the thing. Someone just released a HD video online…”
Letitia rolled her eyes in disdain. To her, nothing could stand in her way anymore.
The assistant showed the video to her manager, whose expression was completely stormy after watching it.
“Letitia, what is the meaning of this?”
Letitia was starting to get annoyed.
“Are you tired of working for me? Just because you’re my manager, that doesn’t make you my boss.”
“Is that so? You’re not even a C-list celebrity yet! How do you have the face to pull off such obnoxious acts? I don’t want to have someone as big-headed as you working under me either.”
Letitia finally started feeling that something was wrong and snatched the phone from the assistant. The security footage of everything that Letitia said and done to Sophie in the restaurant the other day was playing on the screen.
Everything nasty that she had said was played in the video for everyone to see.
Xeno: Little fairy? More like little b*tch!
Beast: I can’t believe I spent so much time defending her!
C#: I really pity Transfix Cosmetics for having to deal with a psycho like her.
10290: I’ve never dared to say this before, but to be honest, Transfix Cosmetics is a really good brand! I would even regard it as one of the best local brands.
Lilyxxx: Their foundation stays on your face the whole day and doesn’t even smudge! I’ve been wanting to say this for a while. I’ve even tried a whole bunch of international products and none of them can compare to theirs!
Golditis: Letitia is such a scheming b*tch!
The whole comment section was full of insults toward Letitia.
Someone had even started a hashtag for #ILoveTransfixCosmetics that had begun trending.
Almost instantly, everyone who had previously hated Transfix Cosmetics was beginning to use the hashtag.
&Loveme&: I can’t wait for Transfix Cosmetics to release their newest product! I’ll definitely be the first one to buy it.
!Ali22: Hey, what’s the nearest branch to you? Let’s go together.
Letitia couldn’t bear to scroll any further. She was already trembling with rage.
Just a few seconds ago, she had been beaming with pride as she approached success!
Now, she had been thrown down into hell from the gates of heaven.
Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn’t even had the time to react.
“What do we do? What now?” Letitia asked, tugging at her manager’s hand. “Only you can help me now!”
The manager pulled her hand out from Letitia’s grip.
“Sorry, but I don’t think I can help you now.”
Suddenly, a few men dressed in police uniforms walked into the room, causing Letitia to turn even paler.
“Ms. Gatrell, you have been arrested for your involvement in cases of blackmail, cheating and three other crimes. You will now be taken in for further investigation.”
“I didn’t do anything!”
Letitia tried to run, but the policemen didn’t even give her a chance.
She was brought away by them and the reporters who had rushed over only managed to get shots of the police cars’ tail lights.
Back at the Transfix Cosmetics’ product launch, there were now a lot more reporters after the huge scandal.
Even the hundreds of bodyguards stationed at the location weren’t enough for the sheer number of reporters that had come by.
Rachel had already prepared everything for their press conference, but there wasn’t a single reporter at their event.
“What the hell is going on?” Rachel said with a frown on her face.
“Have all of you gone deaf? I just asked you what is going on! What the hell is a press conference without the press?”
“You might want to take a look at this, Ms. Summers.”
One of her subordinates passed her a phone.
After watching the video of Letitia, Rachel’s face turned bright red.
No wonder all the reporters are gone!
“What do we do now, Ms. Summers?” They had prepared so much stock on their latest products for the press conference, but if that didn’t happen, what should they do with all the extra stock? The company would lose so much money.
Lorelei had finally reached the so-called press conference only to see nobody there.
She took off the sunglasses on the bridge of her nose.
“What’s going on? I spent three hours on my makeup and no one is here to even get one picture of me?”
Rachel was clearly not in the mood to entertain Lorelei.
“Go take a look.”
She wanted to see exactly what Transfix Cosmetics was up to.
Wilma had finally heaved a sigh of relief back at Transfix Cosmetics.
She couldn’t help but look at Sophie in awe.
That girl is really something.
It was barely two hours since the incident happened but she had managed to turn the table.
Wilma couldn’t believe how lucky she was.
She had learned a lot from being around someone so talented.
“I’ll leave the rest to you, Ms. Lineker. I know you can do it.”
Sophie had always trusted Wilma.
Wilma was all energized at the sound of Sophie’s encouragement.
“I won’t disappoint you, Ms. Tanner.”
“I won’t disappoint you either!” Cecelia suddenly showed up and announced. She would not want to miss out on Transfix Cosmetics’ new product launch.
Chapter 87 Daring And Overbearing!
“Ms. Tanner, would you like to share a few words later on?” She hadn’t been sure whether Sophie would have made it, but now that she was there, it seemed like a good opportunity.
“No, that’s alright.” She had never enjoyed the feeling of lights flashing in her eyes.
…
In Lombard Group, Felix had already planned out how he was about to get back at Letitia. However, he did not expect Sophie to have already settled everything herself.
“Mr. Tristan, Ms. Sophie is truly amazing!”
She had singlehandedly created an uproar. It was like he could already see Transfix Cosmetics’ success before his very eyes.
Tristan was silently agreeing. I knew my Sophie would do just fine.
She had probably never seen Letitia as a rival, and she was right for doing so. After all, Letitia could never compete against someone like Sophie.
“Aren’t you going to take a look?” Felix asked in confusion. If he were in Tristan’s place, he would have been there in a flash.
“I can just watch the live stream.”
He knew she would do well, so all he had to do was sit back and watch.
No matter what she wanted to do, he was going to stand firmly behind her.
No matter what consequences she ended up facing, he would shoulder them for her.
The product launch had already started.
Wilma hosted the whole thing personally. First, she thanked the reporters for attending the launch before swiftly summarizing everything that Transfix Cosmetics had done recently.
“Basically, we have received tremendous support from everyone since we started this brand. The incident that happened with Letitia Gatrell made us even more confident in our brand. We will continue to work harder to come up with even more products that everyone can enjoy. Now, we’ll present our latest products through this exclusive advertisement!”
Transfix Cosmetics’ newest advertisements began to play.
Everyone inhaled in shock when Cecelia appeared onscreen.
Most people had assumed that Transfix Cosmetics was already done for, but here they were having Cecelia as an ambassador.
They couldn’t believe that she would accept such an endorsement when Transfix Cosmetics was caught up in its’ scandals.
“Wow! Cecelia Lance really is their ambassador!”
“They’ll definitely make it this time!”
“Man, I still can’t believe my eyes.”
“Hasn’t Cecelia always been really cautious about the type of products she endorses? She has barely done any.”
Rachel clenched her fists, not even caring about her nails digging into her palms.
She really thought Wilma was done for this time. In the end, she was the one leaving Rachel behind in the dust.
She suddenly began to feel lightheaded.
“Are you alright, Ms. Summers?”
Rachel nodded.
“I-I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.” They still had Dream Cosmetics, after all. They wouldn’t lose to Transfix Cosmetics.
The advertisement, which communicated passion and enthusiasm, finished playing.
“Do you all know that Cecelia isn’t wearing any makeup in this advertisement?”
“I know! Her skin is so smooth.”
“After using Transfix Cosmetics, her image has completely changed. It really is effective.”
Wilma reappeared onstage.
“Next, we would like to invite the ambassador of Transfix Cosmetics, Cecelia Lance.”
Cecelia walked onstage in a blinding flurry of lights.
No one was able to look away from her.
“Good afternoon, everybody. I am Cecelia Lance and I am extremely honored to have been given this opportunity by Transfix Cosmetics.”
“Ms. Lance, Transfix Cosmetics has recently been caught up in a lot of scandals. What made you accept their invitation to become an ambassador?”
One reporter asked the question that was on everybody’s minds.
Cecelia glanced over at the reporter’s direction.
“Many of you might have given up on Transfix Cosmetics due to their previous scandals with Ms. Gatrell, but I have never once doubted this brand. Once the company contacted me, I agreed without a second thought.”
The advertisement for Transfix Cosmetics’ latest products had been released on the internet concurrently with the launch.
There had already been so many people spreading positive hashtags for Transfix Cosmetics after the surveillance footage of Letitia had been released. However, after seeing Cecelia in their advertisement, Transfix Cosmetics’ supporters had increased tenfold.
Rachel returned to Dream Cosmetics’ conference area which was empty. There was not a single reporter in the space.
“What do we do, Ms. Summers? We prepared so much stock and if we don’t sell it, the company-”
“Shut up.” Rachel wasn’t in the mood for stupid questions.
She wanted to know what to do too, for God’s sake. Who is going to answer my questions? She had nothing left up her sleeve.
She kept making guarantees that the products would be a hit and that was why she order such a huge batch to be manufactured.
At that point, she wouldn’t be able to pay it all back even if she sold herself.
…
The product launch had already ended and Wilma and Cecelia had both returned to the break room.
Sophie was scrolling on Twitter.
The trending searches and hashtags were all about Transfix Cosmetics.
Sophie was rather pleased with the results.
“What are you looking at?” Cecelia squeezed in next to Sophie.
“You are really amazing, Sophie! How did you come up with these ideas? I think your brain must be built differently.”
Sophie simply ignored her.
“Anyway, I’m glad we’re friends. I must say I pity your enemies, though.”
Sophie was completely ruthless toward her enemies, but she was just as kind and caring to those she considered her friends despite her aloof appearance.
“They deserve it. If they weren’t so scheming, they wouldn’t have ended up like this.”
Wilma had become one of Sophie’s biggest fans and knew she could do no wrong.
“That’s true. Letitia really deserves it.”
She should have stuck to acting. It was her fault for trying to use Transfix Cosmetics to get to her goal.
“Ms. Lineker, I’ll pass the remaining jobs to you. Cecelia and I will be leaving now.”
“Okay! Our new products will definitely be a success, Ms. Tanner,” Wilma said enthusiastically.
Sophie nodded nonchalantly.
“You guys have all worked hard. I don’t really care about the results anymore.”
Besides, nothing would truly bring them down with her there.
“Okay.”
Sophie walked out with Cecelia.
“Sophie, do you know how cool you are? Honestly, you would totally kick me off the charts if you ever joined the entertainment industry. You have the looks and the charisma. You would definitely be successful if you joined.”
Sophie was attractive in many different faces and Cecelia knew she would be a hit among audiences of different age groups.
“I’m not interested. I hate being followed around by reporters.”
She hated the idea of the public knowing her private life like an open book.
“Wait, but there are a lot of reporters outside right now.”
Cecelia was used to even the most ludicrously huge lens that those reporters could shove in her face.
But Sophie hated them.
Suddenly, Sophie’s phone rang.
She answered and heard Tristan’s voice. “Come up to the rooftop.”
“Okay.”
Sophie didn’t ask any further and simply walked into the elevator with Cecelia before pressing the button for the highest floor.
“What’s up? Where are we going?” Cecelia thought they were about to leave. “Are you worried because of the reporters? I’m right here! I can distract them.”
“There’s no need for that,” Sophie replied.
“But you hate reporters getting in your face, right? I don’t mind dealing with them for you.”
After all, she was a famous actress. Hence, she didn’t mind her photos being taken at all.
Sophie simply continued walking to the rooftop with Cecelia.
“Come on, Sophie. It’s not the end of the world!” Cecelia said jokingly.
Suddenly, a helicopter landed in front of them.
Cecelia stared with her mouth wide open. What the hell is going on?
The reporters that had been waiting outside the building were all staring dumbfoundedly as well.
Who is that? How daring and overbearing!
Chapter 88 The Grand Gesture
The helicopter hovered above Sophie and Cecelia as a rope ladder was dropped.
Sophie looked at Cecelia. “Can you manage?” she asked.
“Of course. I don’t get to be an award-winning actress if can’t even do my own stunts.”
Cecelia had also been practicing Taekwondo for several years.
Without saying another word, she grabbed hold of the rope ladder and ascended with some difficulty.
When she was nearing the top, somebody reached out for her hand and pulled her on board the helicopter.
Gazing up in dumbstruck awe, Cecelia could not find the words to describe Tristan’s overwhelming good looks.
He would be an A-list celebrity if he joined the entertainment industry.
However, Tristan did not even look at Cecelia.
Cecelia could not stop herself from being intrigued by him. This guy is pretty good for not many men can resist my beauty.
Below, Sophie climbed the rope ladder with ease.
Felix reached out with the intent of pulling Sophie on board.
“Step aside.”
Startled, Felix touched his nose at the sound of Tristan’s voice and stood aside.
Mr. Tristan’s possessiveness can be quite frightening!
Taking Tristan’s hand, Sophie hopped on board the helicopter easily.
The reporters below watched the helicopter depart with their jaws dropped.
The helicopter must be here for Cecelia! It is not unusual for an award-winning actress like her to have such vast resources at her disposal.
After recovering from their initial shock, their excitement began to grow.
With this scoop, our salary this month is going to swell several times over!
After several moments of silence within the helicopter, Cecelia glanced at Sophie and Tristan.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Sophie?”
“This is Tristan Lombard, and that is Felix Northley.”
“Tristan Lombard? Mr. Tristan of Lombard Group?”
Sophie nodded.
Cecelia’s coolness began to fall apart. It really is him! How is Sophie acquainted with these influential and powerful people?
“This is Cecelia Lance, a friend of mine.”
Tristan nodded at Cecelia by way of greeting, who had by then regained her composure.
Having met all kinds of women before, it’s no wonder Mr. Tristan is hardly taken with my beauty. He only has eyes for Sophie.
Cecelia noted to herself that Tristan was indeed fond of her friend.
He has good looks, money, power, and loyalty. Wow, lucky Sophie.
“I’m in awe of you, Sophie.”
This way of escaping from the press conference was beautifully done!
Felix could not refrain from gushing his praise.
“That’s enough, Felix.” Sophie glared at him.
Felix fell silent reluctantly. Being a prominent figure in Jipsdale, he could not believe how he was dissed.
Cecelia could not help but giggle.
Sophie has not changed over the years.
Felix stared at Cecelia. Though he dared not talk back to Sophie, he did not have the same regard for an actress.
“He’s looking at me threateningly, Sophie,” Cecelia complained.
“You-”
Felix was furious that Sophie caught him in the act. His gaze was indeed frightening.
“I did not, Mr. Tristan.” Felix was not about to back down. So what if Cecelia has her backer, and so do I!
However, Tristan did not pay him any mind.
“My apologies,” Felix muttered, not expecting such a predicament to befall him.
Seeing that, Cecelia became smug.
This is how powerful my backer is.
Josiah was pleased to see Cecelia when the group arrived at the hospital. As Sophie and Cecelia were old friends, the latter had been a frequent visitor to the Tanner residence.
“Is that you, Cecelia? It’s been a long time since you paid me a visit. Have you forgotten all about me?”
Cecelia grinned. She cut some fruits for Josiah and then poured him a glass of water.
“You’re like my grandfather, Grandpa. How could I forget you? I haven’t visited the Tanner residence because I was upset that Soph had been banished to Horington.”
Well, I was still young five years ago and had no power to help Sophie.
“Forget it, it’s all in the past now. Soph turned out just as well in Horington.”
“That is true. Sophie excels wherever she goes.”
As Cecelia had a program to shoot that night, her agent came and picked her up.
Sophie and Tristan were still in the ward. The former began a conversation with Josiah.
Yale arrived at the hospital later that night and frowned upon seeing Tristan who was standing next to Sophie.
“Who is he?”
The sales of Transfix Cosmetics must be doing well, given its current state.
He never believed Sophie was capable of something like that and could not help but wonder if the man had anything to do with Transfix Cosmetics’ success. What is he after? Does he have intentions toward Tanner Group?
Josiah was displeased with Yale’s attitude.
“Who he is is none of your business. What do you want to tell us this time? Sophie has taken concrete steps to disprove your claim of her being incapable. What else do you have to say?”
“I’m just concerned for her, Dad. I am her father. Why would I harm her?”
Yale sensed that there was more to that man than met the eyes.
“Send Sophie home, will you, Tanny?”
Josiah felt ashamed to have a son like him.
“We’ll make a move, Grandpa. See you soon.”
Tristan was displeased with the newcomer’s disrespect for Josiah and attitude toward Sophie.
As he is Sophie’s father, it’s not my place to say anything.
“Who is the hell is he, Dad? Sophie is still young and naïve. What are his intentions for being close to her?”
“Are you worried that he would threaten your position within Tanner Group, Yale? When have you ever cared about Sophie like that?”
“That’s not fair, Dad. Isn’t all that I do for the benefit of our family? Is the change in ownership of Tanner Group what you want?”
Josiah grew tired of arguing with his son.
With the conversation ending in a huff, Yale left the hospital and lit a cigarette as soon as he got in the car.
“I want you to find out about the man with Sophie today.”
“Yes, Mr. Tanner,” said Lionel respectfully, who had been waiting in the car the entire time.
“Do you think the man accompanying Ms. Sophie today is the mastermind behind Transfix Cosmetics, Mr. Tanner?” he continued after a thoughtful pause. “I can already foresee what a hit Transfix Cosmetics’ new products will be. At this rate, there’s a high possibility of Ms. Sophie stepping up as CEO.”
Lionel refused to believe that an eighteen-year-old girl possessed such business acumen.
“That is why I’m sending you to investigate! You are my trusted aid. How do you think you will fare if I’m no longer CEO? I’m telling you, this daughter of mine can really hold a grudge. She will not make it easy on you.”
Yale became irritable at the mention of that problem.
“What if Ms. Sophie emerges victorious, Mr. Tanner? Are you really going to let her take over as CEO?”
“No way in hell.”
“At this point, I think you have to acknowledge the possibility of that happening, Mr. Tanner.”
“If this is where we stand, I’m afraid more drastic measures have to be taken.”
Lionel did not answer. He heaved a sigh of relief at his employer’s words.
Yale has always been ruthless. He would never allow others to touch his share of the pie.
Sophie received a call from Wilma the following morning as soon as she woke up.
“We did it, Ms. Sophie! Our products had sold out the moment they came online.”
Chapter 89 The Great Boss
Sophie put her phone in speaker mode and stretched out before doing a split in the living room.
“Haven’t we foreseen all of this, Ms. Lineker? You’ll have a lot more to do in the upcoming days. Once we get past this stretch, you and the team will be sent to holiday abroad.”
They have been highly strung of late. It’s about time they relaxed.
“Please take me under your wing, Ms. Sophie.”
At that moment, Wilma felt so content and spoiled.
How generous of Ms. Sophie to give us a holiday abroad.
“Is there anywhere you would like to go? Tell me if there is, and I will make the arrangements for you.”
“Sure.”
Wilma accepted the gesture graciously. As her team had been fraught with worry over the launch, she naturally leaped at the opportunity to take them out for a break.
“Is there a budget?” she added as an afterthought.
Transfix Cosmetics has been making a loss until yesterday, after all. Though we have had an explosive start, it wouldn’t do to go overboard.
“There is no limit.”
Since I have made them that offer, I’m more than happy to pay for everything.
On the other end, Wilma covered her phone to seek suggestions from the rest.
“Ms. Sophie wants to treat us to a trip abroad, girls. Is there any place you have in mind?”
“What? All expenses covered?”
“I haven’t misheard, have I? Is it a holiday oversea?”
“Excellent! Let’s go to Jinrich Island!”
“Jinrich Island it is, then!”
“Would Jinrich Island be too expensive, though? We aren’t exactly raking in the profits yet.” Wilma felt the need to modulate their excitement.
“You’re right. Why don’t we go to Jinrich Island after Transfix Cosmetics makes big money?”
“Ms. Lineker.”
Wilma removed her hand at Sophie’s voice.
“I’d heard your conversation. Just go to Jinrich Island.”
“Ms. Sophie-”
“Hang on a couple more days. Leave the arrangements for the trip to me.”
“I can do it, Ms. Sophie. There is no need for you to do it personally.” Ms. Sophie is a busy woman with classes to attend.
“It’s no problem. I can easily book the tickets and hotel rooms online. We’ll talk soon as I have to head to school.”
“All right, Ms. Tanner. Talk to you later.”
Wilma hung up and gazed at the faces alight with excitement.
“How did it go?”
“We’re going to Jinrich Island,” Wilma announced with a smile.
I’m grateful to have chosen the right employer. Though Ms. Sophie may look cold, she is kind to those loyal to her.
“We’re going to Jinrich Island!”
“We are! It’s a pleasure to go on holiday with all of you.”
Gazing at the group’s excitement, Wilma felt that all their hard work was worth it.
Cecelia heard the news of Transfix Cosmetics’ company trip to Jinrich Island and gazed at Sophie glumly.
“I played a part in Transfix Cosmetics’ success too, Sophie! If your staff can go on holiday, what about me?”
Sophie gazed at her.
“Haven’t you been to Jinrich Island many times before?”
“So what if I have? Are you that reluctant to part with your money?”
“Fine, you can come too.”
Cecelia was satisfied. “That’s better.”
Meanwhile, Ysabelle also caught wind of the trip to Jinrich Island and gazed at Sophie with large, expectant eyes.
After being subjected to such intense scrutiny for half an hour, Sophie could not bear it any longer.
“What is it?”
“Are you planning a trip to Jinrich Island, Soph?” Ysabelle asked as she twiddled her fingers.
Sophie’s gaze shifted from the anatomy chart on her book to her friend’s face.
“Yes?”
“I would like to join you.” I want to join her on her vacation. Otherwise, it feels like she has abandoned me.
“You may.”
Geez, she could have just told me. Why did she have to stare at me like that?
Upon hearing from Ysabelle that she was going to Jinrich Island, Felix immediately relayed the news to Tristan.
“How are you this calm, Mr. Tristan? Jinrich Island is the perfect place to develop a romantic relationship. Are you really not going?”
“You are the one who wants to go, aren’t you?” Tristan retorted. Since Felix found out that Ysabelle was going to Jinrich Island, he had not stopped talking about it.
“You’re right. I admit that I badly want to go. It’s meaningless to be working all the time! What’s the point of earning so much money if I don’t enjoy myself? Going on a trip with someone you like is a good opportunity to develop a romance.”
“Usually,” he added sagely, “a romantic spark is not found in familiar places, and going someplace new might just bring out the romance in a different light.”
Being almost nineteen, Ysabelle is no longer a child. It is an impressionable age when girls fall in love easily. If Mr. Tristan did not take advantage of his niece’s company when he still could, he would regret it when Ysabelle found someone she loved.
“We should join them, Mr. Tristan.”
Ysabelle would not agree if I went alone.
“Mr. Tristan?”
Felix was annoyed at how transparent his thoughts were compared to his employer’s.
I can never fathom Mr. Tristan’s thoughts…
The sale of Transfix Cosmetics’ new products had been skyrocketing. By that point, it was almost impossible to obtain any ready stock.
Wilma had the factory work three extra shifts to produce the new stock.
The new products of Transfix Cosmetics only took three days to become the most popular series out of the company’s entire catalog.
As the date of their trip to Jinrich Island drew closer, Wilma handed her tasks on hand to her trusted aide before heading to Jinrich Island with the rest.
Having agreed to meet at the airport, the girls were already there when Wilma arrived.
“Over here, Ms. Lineker.”
One of them saw Wilma from a distance and waved at once.
Wilma soon gathered with her team.
“Will Ms. Sophie be coming with us, Ms. Lineker?”
“Yes, she will.”
“Wonderful! Come, let’s take a picture!” Photography was a popular activity for girls on an outing.
The girls huddled together for a selfie which one of them posted on Instagram.
The caption wrote: Throughout all the choices I have to make in life, I have never regretted choosing Transfix Cosmetics. Though I expressed doubts back then, I have become more certain about my choice to work for Ms. Sophie. She’s taking us on a trip! It pays well to have an employer like Ms. Sophie.
The other girls supported her view by liking that post.
On the other side of town, the girls who had followed Rachel to found Dream Cosmetics were close to tears.
The staff scheduled another press conference to compensate for the pathetic end of the first one.
Though they had extended the invitation to many reporters to play safe, the response was tepid at best.
And now we’re working overtime every single day.
After finding the time to catch up on her social media, the first thing the girl saw was the post about her ex-colleagues going on a tour abroad.
“What are you looking at?” asked another one of the girls as she leaned over. She, too, became depressed after viewing that post.
“How nice it would be if we never left Transfix Cosmetics.”
“It’s too late to regret that now.”
“That’s right. If it were not for Ms. Summers, we wouldn’t have left Transfix Cosmetics.”
Walking in at that exact moment, Rachel heard them.
“Ms. Summers,” one of them exclaimed upon catching sight of her employer. Dropping her gaze in terror, she dared not say another word.
Rachel scowled.
“Do you think it is degrading to be working for me? Look at how jealous you are getting over a trip abroad!”
“That’s not what we meant, Ms. Summers.”
“Then what exactly do you mean? You are free to leave if you think Dream Cosmetics is holding you back.”
Chapter 90 Put Up With Him
When Sophie and Ysabelle arrived at the airport, Wilma took their passports to obtain their tickets.
The other girls followed her to get the tickets.
“What’s going on? My ticket is first-class.”
“Mine too.”
“Oh God.”
The three tickets Wilma obtained were all first-class seats.
Even if they were sent on business trips at their old jobs, they always flew economy class.
“Did the airline make a mistake?”
“Could their system be faulty?”
“I don’t think so; Ms. Sophie is that generous. It sure feels good to be pampered.”
It was a sentiment the girls shared.
Wilma led the girls back to Sophie and handed her and Ysabelle the tickets.
“Economy class suits us fine, Ms. Sophie. There’s no need for you to spend this lavishly.”
“It’s not much.”
Sophie honestly did not think it was a lot of money. It was not meant to be an ostentatious gesture.
The girls under her employment gazed at her with gratitude.
“Don’t worry, Ms. Sophie. I will work hard after the trip.”
“Me too! I will make back what you spent on my first-class seat.”
It’s rewarding being Ms. Sophie’s employee. We will work hard and not let her down.
“Go on, then.” Though Sophie did not mean to buy them off, she did not object to the effect her gesture created.
The girls were excited as it was their first time passing the VIP security check.
“Take me under your wing too, Sophie! There are so many of them, and all their seats are first-class!”
“They’re worth it.”
I have witnessed how hard they work.
“How nice it must be working for you.”
After the security check, the group had some time to spare before boarding and waited in the VIP lounge.
Felix suddenly called Ysabelle.
“What?” she asked rather irritably upon picking up.
“You’re rather mean to me of late, Belle,” Felix complained.
“So? What do you want? We’re about to board.”
“Nothing. I just want to tell you to have a safe trip.”
Ysabelle did not know what to say, so she hung up abruptly.
“Does Felix have nothing better to do?” she asked in annoyance.
“He’s actually pretty busy, yet he finds time for you.”
It is impossible for the heir of the Northley family to have that much free time to spare.
The group of about a dozen girls got up and walked across when the notice to board sounded from the speakers.
The pleasant sight of a dozen excited, pretty girls made quite an impression on the other travelers.
Ysabelle was stunned when they ran into Tristan and Felix at the boarding gate.
“What are you doing here, Uncle Tristan?” she asked suspiciously.
“I have matters to attend to in Koandria.”
“What a coincidence!”
Ysabelle gave a bitter laugh. It’s not often that I get to go on a holiday. Can’t he cut me some slack?
Having never met Tristan and Felix, Wilma nodded to them as a form of greeting.
Felix seated himself next to Ysabelle upon boarding the plane, to her chagrin.
“What are you doing? I want to sit with Sophie.”
“Are you sure, Belle?”
“I’m very sure.”
“Mr. Tristan, Ysabelle says she wants to-”
Ysabelle clapped a hand over Felix’s mouth and glared at him fiercely.
Tristan looked over. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” Ysabelle said hastily as she concealed her annoyance.
How am I going to rebel against my uncle?
“Look. I don’t want to sit with you, either. I’m afraid of Mr. Tristan. You are no better, aren’t you?”
Ysabelle was struck dumb. Lamenting her fate, she was careful to keep her voice down as she did so.
“Have you had lunch?” Tristan asked Sophie. It’s now one in the afternoon. I wonder if she has eaten.
“I have.”
She and Ysabelle had come over after lunch.
“I’m glad you did.”
Sophie took out her phone and put on her earphones.
“What are you listening to?”
Sophie gave him the other earbud. Tristan took it and put it in his ear.
It was a very catchy Ustranasion song.
Tristan took out his own phone and searched for the song. After setting it as his ringtone, he closed his eyes for a nap.
He spent the entire night dealing with the matters of Lombard Group for the next couple of days. After a meeting earlier that morning, he came with Felix to the airport after taking care of his work.
Noticing how exhausted he looked, Sophie was careful not to bother him. Instead, she read a book on anatomy.
Arius had expressed his desire for her to join the medical association. She agreed as she was genuinely interested in that field.
Sophie’s resolve to study medicine strengthened significantly after the incident with her grandfather.
I will join the medical association after settling the issues within Tanner Group.
Sophie was so engrossed in reading her book that she did not notice Tristan waking up.
Surprised to find her with a book, Tristan gazed curiously for a while.
When he saw that she was reading an original version of a textbook on anatomy, Tristan became even more convinced of Sophie’s medical prowess.
She wouldn’t tell me anything if I asked her right now. However, it does not matter. I don’t care how many secrets she has. I will unravel them one by time.
Sophie turned around and saw Tristan’s eyes fixed thoughtfully on the book in her hand.
“Would you like to take a look?” Sophie offered while handing it over. “I can lend it to you if you find it interesting.”
Tristan shook his head.
“It’s a tall order for me to start learning medicine at my age. I’m just curious about what you’re reading, that’s all.”
“It’s never too late to start learning something as long as you have the passion.”
Sophie did not continue her conversation with him. Instead, she turned her attention back to her book.
It is rare for young people to sit quietly with a book in hand these days.
Tristan’s fondness for Sophie increased yet again.
After over two hours of flying, the plane finally landed at Jinrich International Airport. The group descended the aircraft after the flight attendant’s announcement.
The cars sent by the hotel were already lining up in wait outside the airport.
Even Wilma, who had witnessed high-profile travelers in her day, was stunned at the sight of the three extra-long Lincoln limousines parked by the road.
What sort of a hotel has Ms. Sophie arranged for us?
“Come on, get in!” Sophie gestured.
The girls seemed intimidated by the grandeur of their reception. “We can all squeeze into one.”
Sophie frowned. “That would be too cramped.”
“Not at all, Ms. Sophie.”
“All right. They will take you to the hotel, and you can go wherever you please after checking in.”
They do not appear at ease in my presence.
“All right, Ms. Sophie. Enjoy yourself.”
Tristan and Felix were already waiting for them at the side of the last Lincoln when Sophie and Ysabelle went over.
“Aren’t you here on business? What do you want now?”
Felix opened the car door in response while Tristan stood aside for Sophie and Ysabelle to enter.
“Why do I get the feeling that they followed us here, Soph?”
The rubbish about being in Koandria for business is obviously a lie.
Sophie glanced at her.
“Are you accusing your uncle of something?”
Ysabelle was horrified. How did she know? I must be mad to do that!
Her family was not aware that she had taken leave to travel abroad. If word slips from Uncle Tristan, I am finished. That is why I have to put up with him.
Ysabelle hurriedly vacated the seat next to Sophie when Tristan entered the car.
He sat next to Sophie as if it was the most natural thing to do.