Chapter 552
William thought Tristan would bring Sophie home since he was so protective of her.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t like her? You want me to bring her here so you can humiliate her?” Tristan snickered.
William took offense at his sarcastic tone.
“Today is my birthday, Tristan. Must you drive me mad?” William’s temper was about to flare.
Tristan responded with a grin. “Of course not, Dad. I want you to live a long life, and I hope everything you wish will come true.”
“Do you mean what you just said? If you do, I want you to break up with Sophie. You can have any woman, but Sophie is not a good match for you. You’re way out of her league,” William uttered. I’ll not allow my son to entertain a woman like Sophie.
“Break up?”
“That’s right. You said you hoped everything I wish would come true, right? So far, life has been treating me well, but the only thing that bothers me is you and Sophie. If you want me to live a happy life, break up with her!”
“I’m afraid that you might not get what you want. It took me a while to win her heart. What makes you think I’ll give her up so easily?” Tristan said. I’ll never let her go.
“You—” William knew convincing Tristan would not be the easiest thing in the world.
Tristan cut in and continued, “You should avoid seeing me since my presence upsets you all the time. By the way, Sophie will be coming later!”
“You—” William was about the explode in rage. He knows I dislike Sophie, yet, he still invited her over. He’s just trying to get on my nerves!
“You have a problem with that? She’s my girlfriend, so she should be here to celebrate your birthday. Isn’t that how things work?” Tristan refused to give in.
“Fine! Do what you want!” William left in a huff.
The celebration was about to start, but Sophie still had not arrived. Her absence had put a smirk on Jennifer’s face.
“Why are you smiling, Jennifer?” Jennifer’s best friend, who was also one of the guests, could not help but ask upon noticing the grin on her face. “Did you and Tristan make good progress?”
Everyone knew how obsessed Jennifer was with Tristan. Only Tristan could uplift her spirits like that.
“What progress are you talking about? Don’t spout nonsense,” Jennifer replied. She wished she could take her relationship with Tristan to the next level, but his indifferent attitude had constantly dampened her spirit. At this point, she did not know what else she could do anymore.
“You look pretty today, and Mr. Tristan is here. You must seize the opportunity to win his heart!”
“You look pretty today, and Mr. Tristan is here. You must seize the opportunity to win his heart!”
Jennifer flashed a gloating grin. She’s right. I have the looks and impressive family background, so I’m the best match for Mr. Tristan. Sophie doesn’t deserve him in the first place. She should end the relationship and see herself out!
While Jennifer was absorbed in thought, Sophie arrived in a red dress. The exquisite makeup and braided hair made her look like an elegant woman who had just sashayed out of a painting.
Her presence immediately captured all the guests’ attention. They started chattering with themselves when they saw the belle, whom they had met for the first time. “Who is this lady? She’s gorgeous!”
“I know, right? No amount of plastic surgery can recreate such beauty! And it’s obvious she’s a natural beauty!” another guest echoed. She’s different from those celebrities who constantly go under the knife to enhance their looks!
“Not forgetting the elegance she exudes! How stunning!” someone else added.
Jennifer’s face turned grim when she heard those remarks. Never in a million years did she think Sophie would show up.
To make things worse, the woman had stolen the limelight. All the guests, be they men or women, were captivated by her extraordinary beauty.
Their reactions irritated Jennifer even more.
“What’s wrong?” her friend asked when she noticed the disdain on her face. “Are you bothered by that woman?”
She noticed something amiss about Jennifer the moment Sophie entered the building.
“Yes. She annoys me,” Jennifer replied.
The friend only understood why Jennifer was upset when Tristan came downstairs to welcome Sophie.
“Isn’t she the girl from the charity dinner? I’m surprised how gorgeous she looks after putting on a dress like that.” She, too, was in awe of Sophie’s beauty.
Jennifer instantly expressed her dismay. “So what if she’s born pretty? What’s the big deal?”
Sophie’s presence had gotten under her skin. I’m supposed to be the center of attention, but she came in and stole my thunder! I bet everyone must be making fun of me now!
Jennifer walked over and stood in front of Tristan and Sophie. “Mr. Tristan, are you sure bringing her here is a good idea? You’re going to upset Old Mr. Lombard since we’re celebrating his birthday today.”
“You should mind your own business, Ms. Whitley.” A line formed between Tristan’s brows. How dare she question me?
Jennifer responded, “I just don’t want you to go against your father because of this woman.”
Sophie could not help but chuckle upon hearing that. “Is that really your only concern? I think you want me gone so you can take my place. But what if I refuse? What can you do?”
Sophie tackled her head-on. How can I stand there and do nothing when a woman is trying to steal my man?
After holding Tristan’s arm, Sophie continued, “Let me make this clear—stop dreaming of taking my place because I won’t budge.” No one can steal anything from me!
Jennifer could only clench her teeth, as there was nothing she could do.
Tristan, too, cast a glance at Sophie. Once again, he was so spellbound by her charm that he would even set a house on fire if she told him to.
Anyone would be envious of the love Tristan had for Sophie.
When the celebration was about to begin, William came downstairs.
Upon noticing how eye-catching Sophie and her dress were, he could not help but knit his brows. How dare Tristan bring her here? He doesn’t care about my feelings at all.
Sophie’s presence might have made Jennifer uncomfortable, but the latter knew it was not the right time and place to make a scene.
Jennifer knew William wanted a meek and obedient daughter-in-law, so all she needed to do was to get in his good books. I’ll take one step at a time. The rest can wait.
All the guests noticed how Tristan looked out for Sophie. It was as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him.
On the other hand, Jennifer kept William company while he introduced her to his connections.
Ysabelle finally got a chance to approach Sophie. “Sophie, let’s go and grab something to eat. What would you like? This celebration is so boring.”
Though everything that was going on was uninviting, they had no choice but to hang in there.
“I’m quite full now since I ate something before I came,” Sophie replied.
She felt eating at the event would draw too much unnecessary attention from the crowd. Now that they know I’m Tristan’s girlfriend, they’ll probably observe my every move. I don’t think I can enjoy dinner under their watchful eyes.
“Hey, look.” Ysabelle pointed at Jennifer. “Don’t you find her annoying? She interacts with the guests like she’s one of the Lombards. Argh!”
