Chapter 540

“Hello. Thank you so much for always taking such good care of Sophie,” Tristan said politely.

“Oh, no. Not at all. Sophie has been the one constantly looking out for me,” Butterfly replied. I doubt I’d have come this far if it weren’t for her! For all I know, I might’ve married a random guy and settled for a mediocre life that’s a far cry from what I have now.

“Mr. Tristan, are you bad with directions? Smokestar Barbecue isn’t all that big, so why do you still need Sophie to lead you in? Don’t you know she’s had a long day?” Arius asked scornfully.

He couldn’t stand the sight of Tristan, so to him, anything the latter did was wrong and off-putting.

Tristan chose to ignore the man.

After all, why should he stoop to Arius’ level in front of Sophie?

Butterfly, on the other hand, shot a glare at Arius. My goodness. He’s doing it on purpose! What on earth does he have against Tristan anyway? Shouldn’t he be happy that Tristan treats Sophie with so much love and care?

“If you don’t want to eat, you can see yourself out right now, Arius,” Tristan uttered flatly.

“You—” Arius muttered, anger rising in him like a tide. Damn it! I know I’m not Tristan’s match.

“Let’s tuck in, Arius! Didn’t you say you were starving?” Sophie urged. They had already ordered the food before Tristan arrived, so why let that go to waste?

Seeing the mouth-watering meats sizzling on the grill, Tristan promptly cut a slice of lamb for Sophie.

“Eat up and leave him be. Given his childishness, it’d be useless to talk sense into him!”

“Excuse me? In what way am I childish?” Arius fumed.

Argh! What else can I do, though? I’m all alone, and there’s no one to back me up…

At that point, however, Butterfly began to find Arius rather amusing. Haha! This Arius seems like a lot of fun! Could he be jealous of Tristan? Then again, he doesn’t look the type to fall for Sophie!

Just then, Sophie’s voice rang out. “Ignore him, Butterfly. Eat your food!”

“Okay!”

The food at Smokestar Barbecue was excellent, so Butterfly and Arius gleefully ate their fill. Sophie didn’t eat much, but that was hardly surprising since her appetite had always been small.

She was, however, somewhat worried when she saw Tristan picking at his food.

“What’s the matter? Is the food not to your liking?”

“No, it’s not that. My stomach’s just not feeling too well today,” Tristan muttered. As it turned out, he had been plagued with abdominal pains since the afternoon, yet he had no idea what caused them.

“Ah, you should’ve told me earlier! Then I wouldn’t have dragged you here for barbeque!” Sophie said before pouring Tristan a cup of water.

“It’s okay. How can I miss the rare opportunity to have a meal with your friends?”

Sophie merely stared at the man in stunned silence.

Oh, gosh! He has to stop overthinking everything. The meal can always be rescheduled, but he has to rest when he’s feeling unwell!

“I swear I’m all right!” Tristan insisted as he held Sophie’s hand to assuage her concerns.

“Okay.”

Well, as long as he’s fine, what more can I say? Besides, we’re already more than halfway through our meal…

After the meal, Sophie instructed Arius to send Butterfly home, to which the man readily agreed.

How could he not when Butterfly was such a pleasant young lady? Even he couldn’t deny he felt comfortable around her.

“Get her home safe and sound, you hear me? Don’t bully her.”

“Your words cut me deep, Sophie! Why would a good man like me bully the lovely Butterfly?”

“Quit fooling around!” Sophie scolded. He and his frivolous remarks! That said, I know Arius is indeed a good and dependable man. I can trust Butterfly with him.

“We’ll be taking our leave, then,” Butterfly piped up. “Don’t forget to invite me again the next time!”

“All right,” Sophie said, chuckling at how clingy Butterfly was.

As soon as Arius and Butterfly left, Sophie and Tristan finally stepped into the car.

“Where should we go now?” Tristan asked. It had been a while since Sophie had visited her grandfather, so if that were what she wanted, he’d be more than happy to oblige.

“Is there anything else you need to do? If there is, you should get that done first.”

“No. I’m free. Let’s pay Old Mr. Tanner a visit, then,” Tristan suggested.

Honestly, I feel bad for not having arranged a meeting between our families. Then again, Dad’s attitude has always been atrocious, and I don’t want to risk him upsetting Old Mr. Tanner.

“Sure! Let’s do as you say! It’s been quite some time since I’ve met Grandpa,” Sophie said. “However, if Grandpa asks, you don’t have to tell him how your father feels about us. Grandpa’s getting on in years, and I don’t want to worry him unnecessarily…”

“I’m sorry, Sophie. It’s all my fault that you have to put up with this,” Tristan replied solemnly. “You don’t have to care about other people’s opinions, though. No matter what happens, you’ll always be the one for me. I want you, and only you, to be my wife.”

Not even my father will be able to stop me from marrying the love of my life!

“I know. Don’t worry. I don’t mind at all.”

“It’s okay. How can I miss the rare opportunity to have a meal with your friends?”

To Sophie, the issue with Tristan’s father wasn’t a big deal, and she didn’t see the point in fretting over it.

After all, it was common for any couple to face problems throughout their relationship, and she and Tristan had only just begun.

As long as their love for each other remained steadfast, nothing else mattered to her.

Even though Josiah wasn’t expecting Sophie and Tristan’s visit, it was such a long-awaited and pleasant surprise that he decided to stay up for them.

“Soph! How are things at Tanner Group?” Josiah asked. Ever since he handed over the reins to his granddaughter, he had hardly been checking in, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried about it.

“Don’t worry, Grandpa! Everything’s going very well at Tanner Group,” Sophie answered confidently.

With me around, there’s no way I’ll let anyone make a mess of the company.

Upon hearing her words, Josiah finally heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear! As you know, Tanner Group is the only thing I’ve left for you. You have to protect it!”

More importantly, the company would help close the social class gap between Sophie and Tristan. He was confident that with her at the helm of Tanner Group, the Lombards wouldn’t look down on her.

“Don’t worry, Old Mr. Tanner. Sophie and I will handle everything adequately,” Tristan added, knowing all too well what Josiah was concerned about. “I’ll arrange for you to meet my father sometime later!”

Of course, I’ll have to settle everything on my side first. Sophie cares about Old Mr. Tanner the most, so I can’t let my family upset or offend him. I have to tread carefully.

“Sure, sure. No hurry. You can arrange it when the two of you are free!” Josiah said smilingly. As a man who was reaching the end of his life, he wanted nothing more than for Sophie to be happy and unburdened.

All of a sudden, Sophie grabbed her grandfather’s hand.

“Grandpa, didn’t I tell you not to worry about me? I’ll take care of everything,” she reassured. I got this. I know I do.

Josiah merely hummed his acknowledgment.

I know she’s capable, but how can I not be anxious? She’s my precious granddaughter, for goodness’

sake!

Determined to give her the best he could afford, Josiah continued, “In the future, Tanner Group will be my wedding gift to you.”

“Grandpa!” Sophie exclaimed.

Oh, dear… I honestly don’t need any of these to improve my image. If I had needed a company, I’d have started one myself! However, I chose not to because I don’t require it!