Chapter 816
Meanwhile, Arius had washed up and headed downstairs. He did not call Sophie on his way down, assuming she was still sleeping.
There was also the fact that Tristan was still in her room. If Arius foolishly interrupted their privacy, Tristan would surely have his head.
And so Arius decided it was best to head downstairs alone.
Barney was already up. When he noticed that Arius was alone, he asked anxiously, “Where’s Sophie? Has she flown home?”
It was a valid supposition, given Tristan had the means necessary to fly Sophie home at a whim.
“No, she hasn’t. She’s still sleeping. I’m sure you know we haven’t enjoyed a good night’s sleep in ages!” replied Arius flatly.
Just then, Marcus piped up, “Arius, we’ve captured the men involved. They will apologize for their actions, and we’ll do everything we can to make things up to you.” He was wholly at their mercy and had no choice but to make such a proposal.
Anglandur was in a mess, and eliminating the virus was the best way to defend Marcus’ presidential seat.
Arius was unmoved. He replied, “You know what I’m like, Mr. President. I’m a pretty magnanimous person, but at the end of the day, I’m a citizen of another country, Chanaea, and I will not allow anyone to humiliate my country.”
He was born a Chanaean and would spend the rest of his life protecting his country.
“Of course, I completely understand. Everyone loves their country and wouldn’t stand for anyone to disrespect their beloved country,” said Marcus beseechingly.
After Barney left the International Medical Association, the bunch of loafers left at the organization failed to deal with the virus sweeping through Anglandur. Their incompetence was the reason the Anglandurans president was begging for Arius and Sophie to save his country.
Even Barney added, “Well, Arius, the president has brought the men here. They’re guilty of wrongdoing, but the Anglanduran citizens are innocent.”
Arius remained silent. Sometime later, he said, “I understand that, Dr. Smith. Why don’t we do this? I’ll return with you. As for Sophie, I can’t guarantee she’ll agree. You know her temper as well as I do.”
However, without Sophie around, there was no guarantee they could defeat the virus spreading through Anglandur.
After all, she had figured out how to eliminate the previous virus.
“Then we’ll wait until she agrees!” Barney declared resolutely. He knew it was fruitless to shower her with pleading calls then.
In any case, her cold treatment was directed at the arrogant Anglandurans, not her mentor.
By the time Sophie awoke, it was already past six in the evening. She saw Tristan stretched out beside her, gazing at her tenderly.
To her horror, she realized she had been sleeping on his arm for hours.
“How’s your arm?”
“It’s fine!” In truth, Tristan’s entire arm was numb.
Still, he could not bear to push her away when she slept so soundly.
Sophie sat up in bed and gently massaged his arm.
She chided him, “Why didn’t you let me sleep on a pillow?” She was baffled that she could fall into such a deep sleep with her head against his arm.
Tristan enjoyed her gentle massage and replied earnestly, “That’s because I’d love to be your pillow for the rest of your life.”
This man… my heart is no match for his romantic gestures. I simply can’t refuse him.
Amid her thoughts, Tristan added, “Oh, before I forget, Barney called you many times. I get it if you don’t want to speak to anyone else, but it’s Barney. Should you, erm…” he trailed off hesitantly while handing Sophie’s phone to her.
As expected, her call log had exploded with missed calls.
She told herself off sternly in her head. How could I forget about Barney? Sophie quickly called her mentor.
“Hi, Dr. Smith. It’s me.”
A pause later, she said, “Sure. I’ll be right down.”
Sophie promptly decided to meet Barney and the others upon learning they were just downstairs.
Tristan clearly disagreed with her decision and pulled her back into bed.
He muttered, “Ignore them. Let’s find Butterfly and head back!” They upset my sweetheart so! Why should we care about their safety?
“We can’t be petty about this.” It was a matter of life and death; Sophie could not overlook their transgressions otherwise.
Unconvinced, Tristan argued, “But they hurt you. I can’t stand for that.” He could not bear to see her suffer even the tiniest bit. What makes them think they have the right to hurt her so?
Sophie said reassuringly, “Don’t worry about it. I won’t let anyone hurt me. No one has the right to do that to me.” Bona fide talent gave her the luxury of choices, and she could walk away whenever she wanted.
Isn’t that why everyone tries to make themselves better all the time?
Realizing it was futile to convince her otherwise, Tristan changed tack and suggested, “Why don’t we eat first, then? It’s almost time for dinner. Eat with me before you head downstairs.”
He did not want anyone else to see him in his current state.
While Nicholas was in a horrible state, Tristan was hardly any better, and allowing others to catch a glimpse of him would only invite unwanted gossip.
It was better for his mental and emotional state if he remained in the hotel room for now.
Sophie countered, “Okay, but Dr. Smith is downstairs, and I think he has been waiting for a long time. He’s innocent in all this. Why don’t you wait for me here? Let me quickly handle things downstairs, and I’ll be up here to join you for dinner.”
Tristan mulled over her words.
She’s right. Barney isn’t at fault.
He relented, and Sophie headed downstairs. As expected, Barney and Arius were there, and so was the president of Anglandur. It explained the special forces stationed outside the hotel to ensure their leader’s safety.
“Ah, you’re finally up, Sophie.”
She ignored Arius’ loaded words and walked up to Barney. After greeting her mentor, she took a seat and stared at Marcus.
Sophie cut straight to the point. “I’m sure you know everything that happened. As a Chanaean, I will not allow anyone to denigrate our country.” It concerned her pride as a Chanaean.
Marcus replied, “Of course, Ms. Tanner. We will do our best to remedy the situation.”
Then, he had his men bring over the troublemakers in question.
“These are the men who offended you, yes? I’ve brought them here, and you can deal with them as you please.”
The troublemakers were forced to kneel on the ground. They were still trying to wrap their heads around the extent of Sophie’s influence.
Even the president was watching his words around her.
That doused any hopes they had of coming out of the mess unscathed.
The men began pleading for her mercy. “We’re extremely sorry. We know we’re utterly at fault, and we promise this will never happen again. Again, we’re so sorry. The stress got to us, so we just spouted nonsense without thinking. Please, give us another chance.”
“Oh, is it? What exactly did you call us Chanaeans again?” Sophie bristled as she recalled their past behavior.
The troublemakers could only mutter, “We’re really sorry, Ms. Tanner. It was all mindless nonsense.”
Then, they turned to Barney and begged, “Dr. Smith, please help us! We were really too exhausted and said those things unthinkingly.”
Barney stared at the men wordlessly.
I handpicked these men for the International Medical Association. How did I make such a blunder?
After some thought, Barney arrived at his decision. He declared, “All right. Let’s scrub the slate clean! All of you can leave the medical association now.”
