Chapter 292 I Missed You
After nodding in acknowledgment, Sophie proceeded upstairs. As it was Mark’s first time at the Tanner residence and he was a man of few words, he had trouble holding a conversation with the other members of the Tanner family.
Hence, he ended up playing chess with Josiah, who was further impressed by Mark’s knowledge of chess. “Mark, how did you get to know Sophie?” He had done some digging and found out that Mark was a huge celebrity.
“When Sophie was in Horington, we formed a band together, and she was our drummer. Old Mr. Tanner, you probably haven’t seen her on the drums before, have you? Whenever she plays, it’s truly a sight to behold!”
Josiah furrowed his brows. Since when does Sophie know how to play drums? Why haven’t I heard about it? Nevertheless, I shouldn’t be surprised, for she has excelled in all her endeavors.
Due to the fact that it was Christmas, Charmaine and the housekeepers were busy cooking in the kitchen for the entire afternoon. When it was six, the Tanner family started their dinner.
Josiah sat at the head of the table with Yale on his left. On Yale’s other side was Charmaine, followed by Willow. On Josiah’s right was Sophie, who had Mark beside her, and further down, Caleb.
After pouring everyone a glass of wine, Caleb stood up and declared, “I’m really happy today, for it has been a long time since our family has gathered to share a meal like this. Although plenty has happened over the last few years, I’m sure that’s all in the past now. Going forward, greater things await our family. Hence, here’s a toast from me to everyone!”
When he saw Caleb take a sip of wine, Yale, too, stood up and cleared his throat. “That’s right! Even though we have been through a lot in recent years, all those incidents will not happen again.”
Watching the entire family enjoy Christmas dinner together, Josiah was filled with bliss.
No matter what Yale had done, he was still Josiah’s son, and the old man could still bring himself to forgive his own son.
“Let’s eat! Since it’s Christmas Eve, we’ll watch the celebrations after dinner.” As Josiah loved the program, it became a tradition for the Tanner family to watch it with him.
“Mark, please don’t hold back. There’s no need to be a stranger,” Sophie encouraged him when she saw that he had barely touched his food.
“Sure.”
All of a sudden, sharing a family meal caused Mark to miss home, a feeling which was rare before this.
Perhaps it’s time for me to go home, for I’m still his son despite his objections. Now that I have established myself in the music industry, I’m sure he will come around and agree with my decision.
Sophie served Mark some fish.
“You should pay attention while you’re eating. Otherwise, you might choke.”
After dinner, Josiah began giving out monetary gifts to everyone, including Mark.
“Old Mr. Tanner, I’m surprised that I have one too!” He had come solely for the meal and didn’t expect to receive a gift, especially one that seemed to be quite generous.
“Just accept it as it isn’t much anyway. As Sophie’s friend, you’re welcome here whenever you’re free.”
“In that case, thank you very much, Old Mr. Tanner.”
By the time dinner was over, it was already eight and the Christmas celebrations had already started. As a result, the family gathered on the living room couch and watched the show together with Josiah.
In truth, the Christmas celebrations had grown increasingly boring over the years. Nevertheless, Josiah insisted on watching it, not because it was particularly interesting, but because of the nostalgia he felt.
With the help of the housekeepers, Charmaine prepared some fruits and snacks before joining everyone to watch the show.
As for Sophie, she hadn’t eaten much for dinner, for she wasn’t keen on the food served on such occasions. Most of the time, they were too rich for her liking.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling under the weather? You barely ate just now,” Mark asked with concern after noticing it.
“I’m fine. The food was just too rich for me.” Nevertheless, it was better for her to keep her complaints to herself. After all, it had been a tiring endeavor for those who spent the entire afternoon cooking.
“Why don’t you have some fruit?” Mark handed some to her.
“Thanks.”
She had just finished a piece of pear when her phone suddenly rang.
After rejecting the call, she whispered in Josiah’s ear, “Grandpa, I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to take a call.”
“Go on then. I guess it must be Tanny. He must have just finished his Christmas dinner too.”
Sophie proceeded upstairs with her phone.
Once in her room, she closed the door behind her and called Tristan back.
“Hello, what’s up?” Sophie asked, holding her phone in one hand after taking off her shoes and laying down on the bed.
“Nothing much, just missing you. What are you doing?” He was struck by the sudden urge to go see her.
“Oh.” Sprawled in bed, Sophie wasn’t in the mood to talk.
“What’s wrong?” he asked in concern, having noticed her reluctance to chat.
“Nothing. I just feel tired.”
“Why are you tired when it’s still so early? I was even thinking of coming to meet you.” Even though they hadn’t seen each other for only one day, it felt like an eternity to him.
“Not today. I have to watch the Christmas celebrations together with Grandpa.” Ever since she went to Horington, she hadn’t managed to spend time with Josiah. Thus, she wanted to use the opportunity to make up for lost time.
“I see…” Tristan sounded a little sad. “Why don’t you switch to video and let me see you?”
Sophie was speechless.
Since when did he become so cheesy?
Before Sophie could reply, Tristan was already calling her on video, leaving her no choice but to accept.
The moment the video call connected, the sight of the face he missed intensified his longing for her.
“I really want to be by your side right now.”
“Mr. Tristan, cool yourself down!” This doesn’t fit his character! Behaving like this makes him irresistible.
At that moment, Tristan’s door suddenly opened.
When he looked up to see who it was, a sense of resignation descended upon him.
“Dad, what are you doing? Didn’t I come home to have Christmas dinner with you?” Why doesn’t he respect my privacy by knocking on the door?
“What’s wrong with you? Why are you hiding in the room alone? Come, watch the Christmas celebrations with me. Also, I haven’t held you accountable for sending Winter to Alendor yet!”
How can he exile such a decent girl to Alendor for ten years? She’ll be so tan that no one can recognize her when she returns!
“Anyone who has gotten on my nerves must pay the price for it, and Winter is no exception.”
“At the very least, shouldn’t you consider my feelings? Winter’s grandfather has come and pleaded with me many times. How can you not think about the consequences when you do something like that? I don’t care. Bring Winter back now! What’s so difficult about that?”
“Can we not discuss this on Christmas Eve?” Despite Tristan’s respect for William, he didn’t like the latter interfering in his life.
“Can’t you do this for me? Besides, what can a young girl like her have done? All she did was fall for you. It’s fine if you don’t like her, but was it necessary to exile her to Alendor?”
This action of his has put both families in an awkward position!
