Tristan made his way toward the pair.
“Did you enjoy your stay at the resort, Old Mr. Tanner? Why didn't you stay a little longer?” Tristan greeted Josiah as he walked toward them.
“There's much to do at home. I can't just be away for so long.”
Josiah was a man who had one foot in his grave.
However, he did not feel comfortable letting Sophie do all the heavy lifting.
“Don't worry, Old Mr. Tanner. Both Sophie and I are around. Nothing's going to happen,” said Tristan reassuringly. Nobody was going to mistreat Sophie in his presence.
“Soph, the driver will take me back. I know you're busy, so I should let you get back to work. You needn't worry about me!” Since Josiah had a driver, there was nothing to be concerned about.
“Let me take you home instead!”
Even though there was a driver, Sophie still did not feel at ease.
“Do I look like a child to you? Just take it easy! Tell you what. I'll give you a call when I get home. How does that sound?” Knowing that Sophie was concerned about his safety, Josiah felt warmth bloom in his heart.
“Old Mr. Tanner, I think we should send you home,” said Tristan.
It would not take a long time anyway.
“Very well, then!”
Josiah sighed, shaking his head good-naturedly. They are such filial, dutiful kids.
I'm not going to waste any more time, then.
Tristan and Sophie sent Josiah home together. After relaying the necessary instructions to Morgan, Sophie and Tristan left the Tanner residence.
The roar of the car engine told Josiah that Sophie and Tristan had finally set off.
“Morgan, be frank with me. Do you think I've been taking advantage of Sophie?” asked Josiah unwittingly. “If not for me, Sophie would have been far away by now. She doesn't really need to worry about this stuff at home.”
Josiah knew, deep down, that he was holding Sophie back.
“Old Mr. Tanner, Ms. Tanner is a good person. I think she just wishes for you to be at peace,” replied Morgan. “Don't think too much about it.”
As he glanced out the window, Josiah shook his head.
“She's had it rough, being born to a family like this.”
When he was away, Sophie had been forced to leave the house at a young age.
Josiah reckoned that she did not really feel strongly toward this family, to begin with.
If not for him, Sophie had no reason to stick around at all.
“Honestly, I do hope she's happy. That's all I want.” Josiah was worried that the Tanner family served as a burden to Sophie and was keeping her from living her own life.
“Old Mr. Tanner, I think you're overthinking this. Ms. Tanner is a strong, capable person. Besides, she now has a partner like Mr. Tristan! Look how wonderfully he treats her! I firmly believe that Ms. Tanner will be happy.”
Is there a reason for Ms. Tanner to be unhappy with a man like Mr. Tristan pampering her thus?
“It's hard to say. After all, Sophie is still young. We don't know what the future holds.”
“Old Mr. Tanner, it's not like you've not noticed the way Ms. Tanner looks at Mr. Tristan! She may be introverted, but we can clearly see the adoration she has for Mr. Tristan!”
“Let's just hope so!”
Josiah was constantly like this, worrying about whether or not Sophie was going to be okay.
“I do think that the more worrisome one is Ms. Willow. This situation has hit her pretty hard. She's always wanted to marry into a wealthy family, but I fear this will be difficult.”
“It's lofty ambitions and wishful thinking on her part. There's nothing much we can do.”
The old man sighed.
This was something Willow had to sort out on her own. Nobody else could do this for her.
After leaving the Tanner residence, Sophie decided to have a short nap. When she opened her eyes, however, she soon realized that they'd arrived at Lombard Group.
“Why did you bring me here?” asked Sophie, confused.
“Something came up that needs my attention. Why don't you stick around and keep me company?” It would be a waste of time if Tristan sent her back now.
“Okay!”
“How go the preparations for the concert?”
“Everything is ready. We're just waiting for the final rehearsal!” The Wheelers always had a place in her heart since that was where she had the fondest memories.
“You know what? Seeing how tired you are makes me sad, but I can't do much for you. This doesn't feel very nice,” replied Tristan.
Sophie was quite smart and skilled in all her undertakings.
However, her capabilities were what made her feel so tired.
“I'm sorry, Mr. Tristan. I've been too busy to spend any time with you lately.”
They were both busy with work and barely had any time for each other.
Sophie felt that she was not a very competent girlfriend.
“Don't say that. I know you're busy, so I'll do my best to make time for you,” said Tristan. All she had to do was do whatever she wanted. He would take care of the rest.
Sophie then reached out to hold his hand.
“Are you busy too?”
Making time for her meant a decrease in Tristan's resting time as well.
“It's fine. After this period is over, there won't be much else,” replied Tristan.
At Lombard Group, all the higher-level executives were waiting for the meeting to start.
Tristan brought Sophie into his office and gave her a blanket.
“Why don't you take a nap here? I'll wake you up when we're done.”
“Didn't you want me to come with you?”
“It's fine. Just stay here and rest.” Sophie had only been getting three to four hours of sleep lately. Now that she had some free time, it was best that she got some time to herself.
“Okay. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me.”
Sophie was aware that someone was trying to mess with Lombard Group.
Such was the world of business, where some people liked to behave recklessly.
“All right, just sleep. There's no need to dwell on it,” murmured Tristan. If he could not handle such a small matter, was he still Tristan Lombard?
Sophie then gently tugged his chin toward her before planting a kiss on his lips.
“Off you go.”
“Just wait for me here. When this is over, we can have dinner together.”
“Okay!”
Right now, the only one who mattered to Sophie was Tristan.
Tristan liked this side of her as well.
When Tristan arrived at the meeting room, Felix immediately announced that the meeting was going to commence.
Throughout the meeting, Tristan did not say much. However, the stern expression on his face made everyone present squirm.
Nobody dared to engage in banter.
“Mr. Tristan, what do we do about this?” Felix knew that if Tristan said nothing, everyone was going to feel uneasy. As such, he chose to start the ball rolling.
“Since he wants to mess around, we'll mess around with him. It's only a few billion, after all!”
That reckless idiot Nicholas! So, he wants to play? Who the heck does he think he is?
After that, Tristan listed out everything that needed to be done in an orderly manner.
“Do you all understand? If there aren't any questions, just follow my instructions,” said Tristan to everyone present.
“Yes, Mr. Lombard.”
His subordinates did not really have much else to say in that regard. When it came to Tristan, they were ready to carry out all his orders.
When the others had left the room, only Felix and Tristan remained.
“Mr. Tristan, I have a feeling that this Nicholas person is targeting Sophie,” said Felix uneasily. Lombard Group and Nicholas had nothing to do with each other. Given how aggressively Nicholas behaved, this was no coincidence.
“If that's the case, we can't let Sophie find out.”
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