Upon hearing the same question from his father again, Mark understood that the matters of that day had reached the older man.
“Dad, she and I can never be,” he replied.
Of course, he was distraught by that fact, but there was nothing else he could do.
“Does she not like you, or do you not like her?” Quinton felt it was such a shame.
After all, he was really fond of a girl like Sophie.
“Don't ask about it anymore, Dad. All you need to know is that it's not going to happen. Also, don't do anything to Sophie,” Mark stated.
“You like her a lot,” Quinton pointed out immediately. “So, she doesn't like you. Am I right?”
Does she not have any taste? It's my son we're talking about!
Mark was bereft of words.
Did he really have to say it out loud? What's the point of doing that?
“All right. I understand what's going on now.” Quinton narrowed his eyes as an idea formed in his mind. Since my boy likes her, I'll make sure he gets what he wants. She's a woman, anyway! All he has to do is get her in bed, and she'll be utterly biddable.
Having been involved in the underworld for a long time, he clearly had many tricks up his sleeve and was determined to help his son.
Yet, Mark had no idea what his father was plotting. All he had on his mind then was the way his band members looked when they left earlier.
I must've really hurt them this time. Maybe they won't come back and see me anymore.
Meanwhile, Sophie had already brought Sunny and the others back to the mansion. The four band members had not uttered a word ever since returning.
Whatever had just happened dealt a huge blow to them, after all.
Even when Mark said he wanted to leave, they did not despair as much.
Never had they expected The Wheelers to end up in such a state.
Sunny, especially, was unable to accept such an outcome, but there was nothing he could do to salvage the situation.
“All right now. Let's not overthink the matter. Mark just didn't want to drag anyone else down.” Although Sophie was furious, she could truly still understand Mark.
“Don't you think Mark has changed, Sophie?” Sunny asked.
He had never envisioned their leader pointing a gun at them and saying such things.
Sophie advised, “You have to trust him, Sunny. He really just doesn't want to get you guys in trouble. Okay, that's enough. Get some rest. I'll take care of all this.”
“I don't think you should see him anymore, Soph. If he wants nothing to do with us, then so be it. I'll pack up and return to Horington in a few days.”
Since The Wheelers had fallen apart, there was no point in him staying.
I may as well go home now so that I don't have to see everyone looking so sad.
“It's okay if you're just thinking of making a trip back, Sunny. But if you're trying to run away, I won't allow it,” Sophie uttered.
No matter what, he has to learn to deal with these problems.
Sunny voiced, “There's a lot of things I don't actually want to do, Sophie. I just can't accept what's happening.” I need lots of time now. What's the future going to be like? I can't be sure anymore. I don't even know if I'll come back.
“Don't do anything rash, Sunny. We're all still part of TS Entertainment. How would Sophie face our fans if we left?” one of the band members urged.
“He's right. Sophie founded the company for us. How could we leave without a word?” another chimed in.
“Then what do you propose we do? Are we going to keep staying here like this? What would become of us in the future?” Sunny retorted.
What value do we have now that it's over for The Wheelers?
“Sunny!” the other members exclaimed.
What's the point of throwing a fit now? Isn't solving this issue what matters the most now? We've been buddies all these years, so shouldn't he know what Mark is like?
Sunny could do nothing but gaze at Sophie in silence, for he did not know what else to say.
“Calm down, Sunny. Everything's going to be fine. I'm sure Mark also feels awful about what happened today,” she said.
“I'm tired. I'll go get some rest,” the young man responded after a pause, refusing to say anything further.
He had already tried his best to talk himself into being understanding of Mark.
Alas, not everything was possible despite one's efforts.
The remaining three band members could only shake their heads at how despondent Sunny was.
“What should we do now, Sophie?” They were utterly at a loss.
“There's no need to think about that. Just keep doing whatever you're supposed to. I'll take care of Mark,” Sophie replied.
They only had to look after themselves at that point.
“Okay.”
“Look out for Sunny too. He's not in the best state now,” she exhorted.
We can't let anything happen to Sunny right now.
“Okay. Don't worry about it! Sunny will be just fine with us around. You only need to focus on Mark.”
Their leader was in a perilous state at the moment.
He could even lose his life at any given time.
“Okay. I'll be heading back now,” Sophie uttered.
With that, she headed straight back to Wisteria Apartments. The moment she opened the front door to her unit and walked into the living room, she found Tristan still waiting for her there.
The man did not go to bed as she had requested.
Sophie took a deep breath to compose herself.
“You're back. How's everything going with TS Entertainment?” Tristan rose to his feet and walked in her direction.
“Didn't I tell you to get some rest? Do you ever listen to a word I say?” she questioned.
Despite her best efforts at controlling her emotions, the words that came out of her mouth still carried a very interrogative tone.
He stilled briefly, having not expected her to talk to him like that right after her return.
“I just had some things to take care of, Sophie. What's wrong? Have the problems not been addressed?” he asked.
Sophie did not know how to respond upon seeing the man's expression.
Instead of speaking, she bit her lip.
Noticing her reaction, Tristan stood before her and hugged her gently.
“What happened?” he inquired in a soft voice.
Sophie instantly felt horrible about herself. How could I lash out at him like that? It's not like he did anything wrong.
“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that,” she uttered.
Tristan held her by the chin.
“Don't apologize to me. Tell me what on earth happened. That's all I want to know.” Nothing else really mattered to him.
“Nothing much. The truth is, I wasn't at TS Entertainment. There were some issues with Mark and the band, so I had to head over to take care of things.”
Realization dawned on Tristan at the mention of Mark.
He knew how deep the bond was between Sophie and The Wheelers.
“You're not hurt, are you?” he then asked.
Still, given how brutal gang members could be with their guns and knives, he was worried about nothing else but her.
Sophie replied, “I'm fine. It's just that... I am at a loss to know how to deal with this issue!”
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