“Are you okay, Louisa? It’s not that we don’t want to help you, but you saw the earlier situation. They had us completely outnumbered. If we had stepped up—” “That’s enough! Shut up, all of you!” Louisa was boiling with rage after getting humiliated like that. “You lot were supposed to be my best friends. Only after what happened today did I discover how much I really mean to you.” The young woman was upset that no one stepped up to help her. “There were too many of them, Louisa. Besides, it was you who wanted to bet with them,” protested one of Louisa’s friends. It wasn’t our fault that she thought she could win. “By the way, who exactly was the guy who spoke just now?”
“I’m curious as well. Seeing how protective he was of Sophie, I bet he’s her boyfriend!” “Louisa, do you really have no idea who he is? You and your family are doomed if he comes after you all.” Louisa was even more troubled after listening to her friends, for the man who left last did not look like someone she would want to mess with. “Do you think we, the Yarboroughs, are pushovers and that anyone can threaten us?” she snapped. “I wouldn’t speak so arrogantly if I were you, young lady. There’s always someone more powerful out there; you never know who you’re dealing with.” The manager of Nocturnal came to see what the commotion was about and was surprised to learn that the young woman before him had the guts to offend Tristan. “Who is he?” Louisa felt somewhat uneasy after hearing the manager’s words. “The man who left last? That’s Mr. Northley. Have you heard of him?” Louisa said nothing in response. Noticing that, the manager added, “You’d better think of a way to appease him. Otherwise, you and your family will be in big trouble.
” Still, she remained silent. At that point, Louisa was no longer in the mood to have fun and hurried home instead. When she reached home and saw her parents, she wanted to complain to them but changed her mind when she recalled the man’s identity. “What’s wrong, Louisa? Did somebody bully you? If that’s true, you have to let me know,” voiced Louisa’s mother. It was only natural that she got worried since Louisa was her only child. “Mom, is Mr. Northley powerful?” Louisa often heard her father talk about the four prominent families but had no idea exactly how influential Felix was. “Mr. Northley? He’s not someone we can afford to offend. Why did you ask, though? Do you know him?” “I don’t.” Louisa’s face immediately turned pale when she heard her mother’s answer. She dared not mention how she offended Felix at Nocturnal and how he threatened to take everything away from her. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” “I’m just tired, Mom. I’m going to bed now.” Louisa was so frightened that she decided to hurry into her room instead of telling her family the truth. “What’s going on with her?” Louisa’s mother could not figure out why her daughter would suddenly mention Felix. That man is in a different class than we are! We definitely can’t trifle with him. Meanwhile, Tristan took Sophie back to Wisteria Apartments. Even though the latter did not stay there for the past few days, Susan had regularly kept the place clean and ready for her to return to. “I’ll go take a shower first.” Sophie felt extremely uncomfortable from the ickiness of being drenched in sweat.
“Sure. Go ahead!” Tristan replied. He took off his jacket, hung it up, and then went to boil some water. As for Sophie, she grabbed a fresh set of clothes from the bedroom and entered the bathroom. It only took her fifteen minutes to finish her shower. After changing and blowing her hair dry, she felt refreshed, and her mood improved greatly. When Sophie stepped out of the bedroom, Tristan had already done boiling the water. As soon as he saw her, he handed her a thermos. “Drink some warm water.” In response, she took the bottle and did as told. “Did you often dance in the past?” inquired Tristan suddenly. Surprised by the question, Sophie thought for a while before replying, “I used to be young and wild. I’d always hang out with Mark and the others, so I did dance sometimes.” “You danced very well.”
He was reminded, again, of how attractive the young woman was just then. “Really? You didn’t look impressed, though.” It had been a while since Sophie last bust a move, which would have remained unchanged had Louisa not crossed the line. “I didn’t like how people looked at you.” Tristan did not appreciate the attention she got. Sophie already had good looks, so the fact that she could dance so well only turned more heads. “Oh. I understand. I won’t dance again.” Sophie was thoughtful enough to refrain from doing anything that would upset Tristan. Upon hearing that, he pulled her into his embrace and made her lean against his shoulder. “You can dance, but you can only do it for me.” Tristan still wished to see Sophie’s sexy and alluring side when he was alone with her. Then, Sophie tilted her head curiously at the man. “Are you sure, Mr. Tristan?” she asked. She was worried he would lose control if she gave him a private dance. “I am. However, what do you say we save that for our wedding night?” Tristan did not have much faith in his self-control either. Sophie had nothing to say in response to his suggestion. The following day, it was still early in the morning when Sophie finished packing her belongings. At the sight of her walking down the stairs with her suitcase, Josiah immediately jumped to his feet. “Soph, I know how important the physics competition is, but do you really have to leave so soon?” he asked. Josiah could not bear the thought of being apart from Sophie for half a month. “Maybe I should go with you. That way, I can continue to take care of you.” Convinced that Sophie had been through enough hardship in the past, he wanted nothing more than to treat her like a princess. “Grandpa, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m just going to a summer camp!” Sophie replied. She had always been patient with her grandfather. “Fine! You have to remember to call me as soon as you get there, okay? Also, do your best. I heard it’s a nationwide competition, but I believe you can do it.” Josiah had every faith in Sophie.
The old man knew about the physics competition she would be participating in and was aware that the top three participants would be eligible for the international middle school physics competition held in Anglandur next month. Caleb’s attitude toward Sophie had changed a lot by then. “Do your best to take advantage of the opportunity, Sophie. If you do well in this competition, you’ll be able to join the International Academy of Physics,” Caleb advised, mentioning the academy many dreamt of being a part of. “Okay.” However, Sophie was not very interested in that because she simply wanted to prove herself to Whitlea. “Caleb, she’s merely there to make up the numbers, yet you think she’s capable of bringing a trophy home?” mocked Willow as she looked at Sophie coldly. Alas, the latter chose to ignore her, only sneering. Clenching her fists, Willow was determined to make use of her forte—painting. I have to stay calm. If I can join the Painting Association, I’ll still have a chance to join the actual upper-class society.
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