Chapter 322
Tristan did not feel like consoling Mark since the latter had been eyeing his girl, and he was mad about it.
Mark was relieved that Tristan had come to look for Sophie.
No matter how capable Sophie had become, Mark still thought of her as the little girl whom others would abandon—just like what had happened to her years ago.
Sunny could somewhat predict the outcome when he saw Tristan coming alone.
He walked over and patted Mark’s shoulder.
“It’s all right, Mark. I know you’re very fond of Sophie, but trust me, you’ll meet a girl who’s more extraordinary than Sophie. And you’ll hold a special place in her heart.”
At that point, Mark felt he had no regrets. At least I’ve confessed my feelings for her.
He said to Sunny, “Come on. Let’s get the others and go for a drink.”
Sunny was relieved to see Mark’s response. Without hesitation, he went to call the rest over.
All the members could not help but sympathize with Mark upon noticing how heartbroken he was for he had yet to start a relationship with someone.
Meanwhile, Tristan went to look for Sophie, who was playing the piano.
He walked up to her and sat beside her to keep her company.
Seeing how close Sophie was to Mark made him unhappy.
After playing the last note of the piece, Sophie tilted her head to look at him. “What are you doing here? Where are Ysabelle and the rest?”
“Don’t worry about them. They’re having fun in the club.”
Tristan then grabbed her hand. “Sophie, you’re full of surprises. I didn’t know you could play the piano! Could you play me a song?”
“Sure. What do you have in mind?”
“How about Marriage of Love?” Tristan was eager to listen to this piece.
Sophie had no problem playing it. She took out her phone to look for the score of “Marriage of Love.”
After placing her phone on the stand, she said, “I’ve never played this piece of music before, so don’t make fun of me if I screw up.”
Sophie could not play the piece well as she was unfamiliar with it. In addition to that, she also did not major in piano.
“Of course, I won’t. To me, you’re perfect.” Tristan would enjoy listening to everything she played.
Sophie started running her beautiful fingers on the keys and dedicated “Marriage of Love” to Tristan.
Tristan sat next to Sophie while watching her quietly. She looked very different when playing the piano, and Tristan was pleased to see her in such a calm manner.
At that point, he felt the urge to protect the girl.
During the second part of the piece, Tristan placed his fingers on the piano keys and started playing alongside Sophie.
Sophie could not resist looking at the man. She did not know Tristan could also play the piano.
Apparently, Tristan had taken piano lessons for two years when he was still a child, but he had not touched the instrument for years.
Nonetheless, his eidetic memory had helped him remember the skills he had acquired in that two years.
Moreover, “Marriage of Love” was not a difficult piece to play on the piano, to begin with.
That was why the two of them could play well together.
After ending the last note, Tristan and Sophie exchanged glances and smiled at each other.
Despite not having any rehearsals, they managed to work flawlessly together.
“You’ve taken piano lessons before?” Sophie thought a man like Tristan would never waste time on such a skill.
“Yes. I’d taken piano lessons for two years.”
“Just two years?”
“Yes!”
“You’re gifted in music, Mr. Tristan. You would have become a professional pianist had you continued practicing.”
“I have no interest in becoming a pianist. Come to think of it, I guess the only interest I have is making money.” Tristan still preferred a life that focused more on important matters.
Sophie nodded in agreement. “I thought so too. Had you continued playing the piano, there wouldn’t be an influential Mr. Tristan in Jipsdale anymore.”
After sitting in front of the piano for a while, Tristan got up and extended his hand.
“All right. Your time with them is up. You belong to me now.”
Tristan accepted the idea of dining with the others because he did not want to interfere in her life, but now, she was his exclusively.
Sophie raised her brows. “I told you I’m not celebrating my birthday, right? We’re just having dinner as usual.”
To Sophie, there was no point wasting so much time on a birthday celebration.
“Don’t think of it as your birthday. Let’s consider today as your coming-of-age ceremony. You’re officially an adult now!” Tristan said affectionately. “You’ll encounter many uncertainties in the future, and I want to be by your side.”
“Mr. Tristan—” Sophie’s heart started racing upon hearing his words.
Suddenly, her heart, which had remained dormant for years, came to life and was almost in her mouth.
“Come on. Let’s go!”
Tristan and Sophie walked out and only saw Ysabelle, Felix, Charles, and Sean.
“Where are Mark and the others?” Sophie asked.
“Mark said something cropped up, and they had to leave first. Oh, he left you a gift.” Ysabelle took out a gift box from the back of a chair.
Though Sophie had said she did not want to celebrate her birthday, the others still prepared gifts for her.
Sophie took over Mark’s gift.
Upon recalling the disappointment on Mark’s face, she felt she had let him down.
“Don’t worry about it, Sophie. There’s nothing you can do since you have no feelings for him. I’m sure Mark won’t blame you for rejecting him. After all, you two had been friends for many years, right?” Ysabelle consoled her.
“Yeah,” Sophie replied.
“Here. This is my gift to you. Sophie, I know my gift doesn’t hold a candle to that stone, but I hope you’ll still appreciate it.” Sophie held a special place in Ysabelle’s heart, so she wanted to get something special for the birthday girl. Yet, Ysabelle could not find the gift Sophie wanted. In the end, she bought her a diamond instead.
“Thank you.” It would be inappropriate for her to insist on not celebrating her birthday since they all had brought her gifts.
In the meantime, Felix, Charles, and Sean also handed their gifts to Sophie.
There were so many gifts that Sophie began to feel overwhelmed.
Tristan had to step in to help her carry some.
“Well, it’s time for us to leave now,” Ysabelle said with a chuckle. It’s Sophie’s coming-of-age ceremony. I’m sure Uncle Tristan has a lot of things to talk to her about! The four of us should leave quietly instead of becoming a bunch of third wheels.
After realizing Tristan was casting her a glare, Ysabelle immediately held Felix’s hand and was ready to go. Before leaving, she could not help but remind, “Uncle Tristan, Sophie might have entered adulthood, but she’s still a young girl.”
Despite knowing she was not in any position to make that remark, Ysabelle still decided to say what was on her mind. She liked Sophie so much that she did not want anyone, including Tristan, to hurt her.
“Ysabelle, are you mad? How dare you talk to your uncle like that? Come on, let’s go. He knows what he’s doing.” Felix was so worried for her that he nearly broke out in a cold sweat.
