Pursuing Her (Sophie and Tristan)

Chapter 36 Flatter

Josiah’s eightieth birthday.Since he did not like crowds, only a handful of relatives came to have dinner with him, taking up only two tables.“Did you let Soph know?”When Josiah saw that Sophie had not arrived even though it was almost six in the evening, he asked Charmaine, who was sitting next to him.“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ve already let her know. But you know how her temper can be. I don’t know if she’ll come.” The woman just couldn’t bring herself to like Sophie.Even though they were both her daughters, Willow was obedient, while Sophie was always arrogant and would never listen to her.“I don’t think she will be coming, Grandpa. I saw her leaving with a delinquent when school ended.”“Forget about her, Dad. It’s your eightieth birthday today. There are so many relatives here. Why should we let others make a joke out of us if Sophie comes?”Hearing that, Josiah slammed the glass he was holding on the table.“A joke? Who would dare do that? Whoever here who doesn’t want to eat with our Sophie can leave,” he retorted. No matter what he did, they still had such an attitude toward his granddaughter.“What’s wrong?”Yale came over instantly when he heard such a big commotion.“Notify Sophie. No one can start eating if she doesn’t come.”All he wanted was to have a happy family dinner. How could he start dinner if Sophie wasn’t here?Yale’s expression turned dark in an instant.“How old are you, Dad? Sophie’s being immature, but are you going to be the same as well? Everyone’s waiting! Everyone here is of seniority, so what if a younger one doesn’t come? Why should we make everyone wait for her?”Right then, Sophie pushed open the door and entered.In truth, she had not received a call from Charmaine, but she knew that it was her grandfather’s birthday that day. It had not been a difficult task for her to find out where they were having dinner to celebrate it.“I’m here, Grandpa.”Josiah finally looked at ease at the sight of his granddaughter.“Soph! Come here.”Sophie walked over and sat beside him.“There’s no need for you to get angry, Grandpa. It’s your eightieth birthday, so how could I not come?”Hearing that, Josiah couldn’t stop himself from smiling. As expected from my Sophie.Patting her head, he said, “Oh, Soph! What would you do if I wasn’t here anymore?”“You’re still in great health! Don’t worry too much.”“All right. Since everyone is here now, bring the dishes over!”Yale had a grim expression on his face, but he said nothing else. After all, it was his father’s birthday today. He couldn’t make it an unhappy day for him.“Willa, your monthly exam just ended, right? How was it?” Willow’s maternal aunt, Yara, asked.“It was all right, Aunt Yara.”“I heard from our Taylor that the papers this time were really difficult. You’re really lucky, Charmaine,” she continued to flatter.Charmaine was delighted when everyone turned their attention to Willow. She had spent so much time and energy on her daughter, after all.“Taylor is really well-behaved too. I’m sure she did well in her exams.”“I’d probably do better than Sophie,” Taylor replied with a smile.“Watch what you’re saying, Taylor.”“I was just telling the truth, Mom! No one here is a match for Willa.”A smile surfaced on Willow’s face when she heard the compliment, but she stayed silent.Nonetheless, she really liked hearing praises like these.“Don’t mind her, Soph. Taylor is still young, so she doesn’t know any better.”“I don’t mind!” Sophie had never cared about irrelevant people like her.“Soph, now that you’re back in Jipsdale, you have to study hard. Stop with the nonsense you did in the past.”“What did I do in the past that was so nonsensical, Aunt Yara?”Hearing that, Sophie raised a brow. These two are here to stir up trouble on purpose, aren’t they?“Since when is it your turn to tell me what to do with my life?”“Watch your words, Sophie! She’s your aunt!” Charmaine scolded as she glared at Sophie.“This is how I’ve always spoken. Don’t you know that I have no manners and am a delinquent? Besides, I’m holding back today since it’s Grandpa’s birthday. Don’t blame me for being too hard on you next time I hear you saying something like this again.”Sophie couldn’t help but feel disgusted at how they were flattering her mother while trampling over her.“That’s enough. Are we still eating or not?”No one dared to utter another word when Josiah spoke up.“Don’t mind their words, Soph,” he said, his heart aching for Sophie.After their meal, everyone got up and gifted Josiah with the presents they brought.“I’ve also prepared something for you, Grandpa.”Willow stood up and took out a red velvet box.“I bought this emerald ring from an auction for two million. I hope you will like it, Grandpa.”“What a filial child you are, Willa. Two million!” Yara’s eyes lit up. Two million was not a small number for an ordinary family.“I used the money I’ve saved up since I was young, and the gift is nothing too expensive. I just hope that you will like it, Grandpa,” Willow said gently. Would Grandpa still like Sophie as much now?“Sophie, Old Mr. Tanner gave you his twenty percent of the shares. Did you not prepare anything for him on his birthday?” Yara asked, not wanting Sophie to have an easy time.“What I gave Sophie is just a gift to her as her grandpa. I am almost dying soon. Why should I need any more gifts?”“Please calm