Chapter 4
Chapter 4 Ask For Help
“Sir, you’ve gotten the wrong person.” Sophie pulled her hand out of his grip.
Caleb frowned. Looks like she hasn’t forgiven us yet.
“Sophie, I know you hate us. We didn’t have another choice back then.” He tried hard to persuade her to change her mind.
“You didn’t have another choice? Ha! You did make your choice back then,” Sophie mocked.
“Sophie, Grandpa’s back. He wants to see you. Even if we were at fault, Grandpa is innocent. He isn’t doing well recently.” Caleb knew Josiah was the only one in the Tanner family that Sophie cared about.
“Got it. I’ll pay him a visit.”
As expected, Sophie caved in after he mentioned Josiah.
He told her, “Grandpa told me to give you a ride back home.”
“I can head there myself.” Sophie refused to waste more time with him.
Back in her house in Horington, Sophie switched on her laptop and typed a series of codes. After getting what she wanted, she sent them to the Public Integrity Section.
Percy Keyes, huh? This information is enough to send him to jail! He’s nothing but trash judging from his son’s actions.
She then began packing up her stuff.
After stepping out of the airport, Sophie took a taxi to the hotel she reserved earlier. She might’ve agreed to come back, but there was no way she would live in the Tanner residence.
At the hotel, she checked in and went to her room to take a shower. All freshened up, she hailed a taxi to the Tanner residence.
“Mom, did you say Sophie’s coming back?” Willow’s expression grew grim after she learned about Sophie’s return.
“Your grandpa told Caleb to bring her home.” Charmaine was seething, too.
“What does Grandpa want? After what Sophie did, people are still gossiping behind my back! Now that she’s back, people will start saying that the Tanner family’s daughters are…”
Sophie stepped into the house before Willow could finish her sentence. Clearly, Sophie had heard everything.
Willow wasn’t afraid of being heard, anyway.
“Sophie, how could you be this shameless? If I were you, I would immediately end my life in shame!” Willow scorned. “If you feel sorry, you can end your life now.”
“Where’s Grandpa?” Sophie ignored her blatantly. After all, she was back to see her grandfather as he wished to see her.
A wave of fury crashed through Willow.
“Mom, just look at her!” she huffed.
“Shut up!” Right then, Josiah descended from the stairs.
“Sophie’s my granddaughter, and she has the right to stay in the Tanner residence. If you both have any objection, you can scram now.”
“Grandpa, you can’t do this to me. Sophie—”
Josiah cut in, “Willow, don’t you understand my words?” There was a hint of warning in his tone. “Sophie, come here. I haven’t seen you for five whole years.”
Sophie’s heart ached when she saw her grandfather’s white hair. Obediently, she went to him.
“Grandpa, I’m here to pay you a visit.”
Oh, she’s so skinny. They left her to her own devices in Horington when she was a kid, and there was no one who could take care of her.
Josiah squeezed her hands.
“Sophie, I wasn’t here five years ago and had no idea what happened. Now that I’m back, no one will dare to bully you,” he promised.
“Thanks, Grandpa.” He was the only one who trusted her wholeheartedly in the family.
“There’s no need to thank me. Morgan, go clean Ms. Sophie’s room now.” Josiah was in a jovial mood after seeing Sophie. “Charmaine, you’ll have to enroll Sophie into a school tomorrow,” he ordered.
“Dad, Sophie was expelled by her school five years ago. I’m afraid no school would take her in now,” Charmaine explained.
They weren’t in Horington and couldn’t pay a school to take Sophie in.
“Sophie can attend Jipsdale Premier High together with Willow,” Josiah added as though he hadn’t heard her explanation.
“Dad, not everyone can get into Jipsdale Premier High. It’s the hardest high school to get into in Jipsdale! Not even rich and influential people can send their children there. Willa got into Jipsdale Premier High through her own abilities.”
“Grandpa, you don’t have to do this.” Sophie only came here to pay him a visit. She added, “Besides, I’m staying somewhere else. I’m not moving back.”
Josiah’s face turned dark at her words.
“Sophie, I promise no one can bully you here. The Tanner family needs you,” he reiterated.
“Grandpa, Sophie knows nothing! All she does is fight and spend her time with delinquents.”
Bang!
Josiah slammed his teacup onto the table so loudly that the tea splashed out.
“Willow, you are to leave right this instance if you dare to utter one more word!” Josiah fumed. “Are my orders ineffective now as I wasn’t home for five years?”
He turned to Sophie. “Sophie, are you going to disobey me, too?”
“Grandpa, I…” Sophie trailed off hesitantly. She would definitely ignore those words if they came from someone else’s lips.
However, Josiah was the one who said those words, and he was the only one who cared for her.
“Okay, then.” I’ll go to Jipsdale Premier High if that’s Grandpa’s last wish. ”I won’t stay here, though,” she said.
If she were to stay under one roof with people she hated, she couldn’t promise she wouldn’t do anything to them.
“Fine. I won’t force you to stay. But you’ve only returned tonight, so I want you to spend one night with me.”
Sophie nodded in response.
“Grandpa, it’s late. You should go to bed. I’ll stay home for the next few days to keep you company,” Sophie assured him. She didn’t want to disappoint him.
“Good. I’m no longer young, so I want our family to get along with each other,” Josiah said pointedly. He then got up and went upstairs with Morgan’s help.
Charmaine went to clean Sophie’s room with Morgan, so only Sophie and Willow were left in the living room.
It seemed to Willow that Sophie wasn’t the same person she used to be. No matter what, I’m the only daughter of the Tanner family.
“I can’t believe you had the guts to come back home,” Willow sneered. There was a hint of malice on her face that was unbefitting of her age.
Sophie fished out a piece of gum from her pocket. She unwrapped the gum and stuffed it into her mouth.
“Willow, I’ll definitely kick you out of the Tanner family!”
Having said that, Sophie spun on her heels and entered the room that she used to occupy.
Boiling with anger, Willow flopped back into the couch. D*mn it. How dare Sophie say that to me?
The next morning, Josiah brought Sophie to Jipsdale Premier High personally.
The principal of the school, Andy Langston, was also the head of the Jipsdale Department of Education. Busy with his duties, he would only make time to meet important people.
Josiah was a well-known figure in Jipsdale, so he was allowed to wait outside the principal’s office with Sophie.
Andy only showed up at his office a little after eleven.
He immediately told his assistant to unlock the door and ushered them in. After learning about Sophie’s condition, Andy was stumped.
Sophie’s results wouldn’t get her into any vocational schools, let alone the prestigious Jipsdale Premier High.
“Mr. Langston, I’ve never asked for anyone’s help, but please do me a favor this time,” Josiah pleaded.
“Old Mr. Tanner, I’m not refusing to help you. I believe you know that Jipsdale Premier High is the top high school in Jipsdale. Most of our students are capable of entering Ivy League schools. I can’t do anything with Sophie’s results. I think you should try applying to vocational schools instead. I don’t think other high schools would take her in with her results.”
Sophie had never wanted Josiah to ask someone else for help, so she got up to leave.
Josiah knew how proud she was, so he rose to his feet and went after her hastily.
Right then, Andy received a call from Felix.
