Chapter 271
Changing only for her (Sophie and Tristan)
Chapter 271 Just Call Him Tanny âThatâs not what I meant.â Caleb was shocked. He often heard his
mentor talking about the weirdo Barney from the medical association. Obviously, he was well aware of
Barneyâs abilities. âLetâs drop this matter. Your father could even threaten us with his life, so I donât think
it matters if heâs back for Christmas or not.â There was no need to ruin everyoneâs mood because of
him. âYou should go first. Iâll call Sophie,â said Josiah. Sophie is a smart and observant girl. I bet she
knew what Caleb meant as soon as Caleb brought this up. Sophie was someone who couldnât care
less about people who werenât sincere toward her. Even if it were her own brother, she would do the
same. âOkay.â Caleb didnât say anything else and went downstairs straight away.
When Charmaine saw him come downstairs, she couldnât help but sigh. âCaleb, you just got home, so
you should rest well. You donât have to bother yourself with those matters.â Back then, when Caleb
wasnât around, Charmaine saw Yaleâs men take Josiah away and also saw the way Yale climbed
upstairs to threaten his family, saying that heâd jump off the building if they disagreed with him. Besides,
she also saw how he pathetically got down the stairs when his threat didnât work. Caleb frowned.
âMom, youâve been married to Dad for so many years. Are you going to stay out of this, too?â
Charmaine was exasperated. âYou know that Iâve never had the right to say anything in this household.
What do you expect me to say?â It was true that she couldnât say anything regarding that matter. âYou
guys should eat. Iâm going to talk to Dad.â Caleb and Yale had always been close. Therefore, Caleb felt
bad about his father being out there all alone. âCaleb, Iâll go with you. I miss Dad too,â Willow said,
standing up immediately after hearing what Caleb said. âWeâre going to start eating soon! Your grandpa
wonât be happy if all of you leave!â Charmaine was frustrated. What do I do with them? Theyâre really a
handful! âI donât feel like eating, so Iâll pass. Letâs go, Willa.â He still had a few questions that he wanted
to ask his father in person. Charmaineâs expression soured when she saw Caleb and Willow leave the
dining hall. I should leave and go shopping too.
Otherwise, Dad will get mad again when he comes downstairs and sees no one here. At that moment,
Josiah and Sophie had already gotten downstairs and saw that Charmaine was the only one in the
dining hall. As expected, Josiahâs face darkened. However, he didnât say anything. Instead, he walked
to his seat and sat down. âLetâs sit and eat!â Josiah said. He picked up his fork and was ready to dig in.
Sophie sat next to him and put some food on his plate. âGrandpa, this dish looks tasty. You should eat
more.â Sophie didnât mind Caleb and Willowâs absence since she didnât like them in the first place. The
food tastes better when theyâre not around. Josiah put a big drumstick on Sophieâs plate. âHere. Eat
this.â Actually, Josiah also hoped they could celebrate Christmas as a family, but now it seemed it was
impossible. Itâs better that Caleb doesnât return! Now everyoneâs unhappy. Charmaine was hesitant to
speak as she sat at the other side of the table. Facing such a situation at home, she had no idea what
else she could say. But weâre family. Do we really have to carry on like this?
âDad, why donât we let Yale come back for Christmas? Weâre family, arenât we? We shouldnât let things
go on like this.â No matter how terrible Yale was, he was still the head of the household. This family
isnât whole when the head isnât around. Josiah slammed his fork on the table. âWhatâs wrong with all of
you? Caleb doesnât know what Yale did, but donât you know? Why bother asking him to come back
when heâs done something as horrible as that?â Morgan quickly brought Josiahâs medicine over when
he saw how angry the old man had gotten. âOld Mr. Tanner, here. Take your meds. Calm down.â Sophie
took the medicine from Morgan and poured a glass of water for Josiah. The old man then swallowed
his pill. âGrandpa, donât be mad. Itâs not good for your health,â Sophie said exasperatedly. This mess is
so annoying. âDad, I know youâre very angry about this matter, but if this goes on, the Tanner family will
be a joke in Jipsdale. I canât even go out without feeling humiliated now because the public would
gossip about me whenever Iâm out.â The room fell silent. Charmaineâs life only ended up that way
because she cared too much about what others said and did. âThatâs it. Iâm full.â It was as if Josiah
didnât hear what Charmaine said.
He got up and went upstairs. Sophie took his arm and ascended the stairs with him. With that, only
Charmaine was left in the dining room. Was I wrong? I have the familyâs best interest at heart! Why
canât anyone understand me? Once Sophie brought Josiah to his room to rest, she sat on his bed and
accompanied him. Josiahâs heart ached when he saw her like that. No one can understand her, right?
Sheâs still so young! But because of me, an old man who has a foot in the grave, she has to bear all of
this burden in the Tanner family! âIâm sorry, Sophie. Itâs all my fault.â If he hadnât insisted on asking her
to return, she didnât need to bear all those. She held his hand. âI donât mind it, Grandpa.â I really donât
care what others say. âWhy are you so tough when youâre still so young? It breaks my heart!â He was
truly heartbroken and felt bad for Sophie. âGrandpa, all that matters is that youâre okay. Leave the rest
to me, all right?â âOkay.â Sheâs just a minor. But how did she become so tough that even an old, dying
man like me can rely on her? âYou should take a nap.
I need to go to Transfix Cosmetics in the afternoon. Once I come home, Iâll bring you out for delicious
food, okay? Letâs not eat at home today.â âOkay. Remember to ask Mr. Tristan to join us. Itâs been ages
since I last ate with him.â I guess Mr. Tristanâs the only person who can protect Sophie well. âOkay. Iâll
invite Tristan. Grandpa, donât call him âMr. Tristanâ anymore in the future. Just call him âTanny.ââ Youâre
my grandpa, so you have the right to call him that. Josiah raised his eyebrows. âDoes that mean you
like Tanny?â Sophieâs young, but itâs good that she can have someone to rely on. Sophie fell into deep
thought for a while because she didnât expect Josiah to gossip. She then tilted her head and said, âI
canât say for sure yet. That depends on his performance.â âAh. That makes sense.
Although Tanny is amazing, our Sophie isnât someone who can be trifled with.â My granddaughter is the
most fantastic person in the world, so she deserves the best! âGrandpa, I have to go to Transfix
Cosmetics now.â âOkay. Go on. Be careful!â Sophie went straight to Transfix Cosmetics after she left
Josiahâs room.