Perrin caught on that Sophia didn’t intend to talk to him about Alexander, or rather, she intended to continue staying with Alexander.
Perrin was hoping to meet Sophia anyway, so he refrained from talking about Alexander altogether and changed the topic since Sophia didn’t want to talk about that.
It had been a long time since the two of them met, so they had a lot to talk about.
They spent almost two hours chatting at the restaurant. Seeing that it was about time and not wanting to affect Sophia’s work, Perrin said, “It’s two o’clock in the afternoon now. It’s time for you to go back to work now, no? I won’t intrude on you any longer. Go back to work.”
Sophia chuckled while looking at him. “I’m quite free these few days. Really. Jadeborough boasts of an extraordinary view. A friend of mine has a cruise ship. Why don’t I bring you out to the sea tomorrow?”
Doveston was far from the ocean, so Perrin had never gone to the sea in his whole life. He was intrigued when Sophia made that suggestion but didn’t want to affect her work. “An old man like me can settle for a simple trip around here. You should prioritize your work. It’s more important.”
“No, you’re more important, Granddad.”
Perrin laughed out loud upon hearing that.
After all, everybody liked being flattered.
“Do you have any prior engagements this afternoon, Granddad?”
“Not yet. I was planning to go check out the museum with John.”
Sophia was aware that Lukas had arranged for an assistant, John Zinn, to come along to Jadeborough with Perrin.
“I can come along since I’m free this afternoon.”
While Perrin was glad to hear that, he only agreed to it after making sure that Sophia was free indeed.
After paying the bills, Sophia escorted Perrin out of the restaurant one step at a time.
Her car was parked at a nearby parking lot. The weather was hot, so she escorted Perrin to the plaza opposite the parking and had him wait for her there.
“What a coincidence, Ms. Yarrow.”
She heard a familiar voice the moment she released Perrin’s hand and turned to leave for the parking lot.
Sophia turned her head to see Jessica and Megan approaching them. She arched her brows. “Mrs. Queen, Ms. Queen.”
The fact that Sophia only offered thirty thousand as compensation for the vase embarrassed the Queen family after news traveled throughout Jadeborough. Jessica never liked Sophia, and those feelings had only intensified since then.
However, given that the Queen family had lost out after the incident, Megan was no longer as provocative toward Sophia as before.
Thus, the reunion of sorts went on rather cordially.
Jessica swept a glance at Perrin, who stood behind Sophia. Smiling, she feigned nonchalance while asking, “Would he be your grandparent, Ms. Yarrow?”
Everyone in upper-class society knew the Dawson family from Doveston.
However, Perrin was used to keeping a low profile, so he rarely made any public appearances after his retirement. Thus, people were more familiar with Kasper and Lukas.
Sophia nodded. “He’s my granddad.”
Jessica didn’t seem to think much of Perrin. “You’re so nice to your granddad, Ms. Yarrow.”
There was a brief pause before she took out an invitation card from her bag. “Megan’s grandfather would be celebrating his birthday next week. Seeing that you share a decent relationship with Samuel, you should join the celebration.”
Sophia checked out the invitation card she held. I don’t suppose this is going to be as simple as it seems.
With a smile, she took the invitation card and glanced at Jessica. “Sure.”
She was curious as to what Jessica could be plotting, given that it was an occasion of much importance.
Jessica nodded. “Meg and I won’t intrude on your time with your grandpa, then.”
Neither Jessica nor Megan greeted Perrin throughout the conversation. Before they left, Megan even looked at Perrin with disdain.
The older man caught the look in her eye. His face fell as soon as the two women left. “Had they given you a hard time before?”
Sophia let out a chuckle upon hearing that. “Don’t underestimate me, Granddad. I’m not a pushover.”
Perrin hummed and decided to ask Lukas for confirmation later on.
Sophia spent the afternoon with Perrin at the museum in Jadeborough. It had been a while since Perrin left the house. Moreover, his beloved granddaughter had spent the entire day with him, so he was visibly delighted. His good mood persisted even after he returned to the hotel.
Sophia worried that Perrin’s legs might feel sore the next day after they spent a day touring around. Thus, she massaged his legs for more than half an hour. She even reminded John to fetch some hot water for Perrin to soak his legs in.
Perrin wished he could record the sight of Sophia giving John reminders on his phone so that he could show off the fact that he was loved by his granddaughter to Stanley.
Sophia turned to check on Perrin after talking to John. “I’m going back, Granddad. Make sure you get some rest.”
“Sure. Safe trip. Call me when you arrive at home.”
He had kept in mind the two nasty women who he had run into that noon. He was also concerned that Lukas was still single despite having reached thirty-five years of age.
Lukas wasn’t surprised by his call and had assumed that he called to talk to him about Alexander. Thus, the fact that Perrin asked about the mother and daughter from the Queen family was unexpected.
Lukas could still vividly recall the incident during which Megan pushed Sophia, causing the latter to break the Queen family’s vase.
Perrin inquired if Jessica and Megan had given Sophia trouble.
Lukas mulled over the question before briefing him on what had happened. “After that, Megan issued Sophia an apology via online live stream.”
It was apparent that the Queen family was throwing their weight around in the beginning. However, Sophia managed to counter them with ease and forced Megan to apologize.
Perrin huffed indignantly after hearing the full story. “It’s obvious that the Queen family is looking down on us! How dare they find fault with Sophia over a cheap vase! From what I heard, their patriarch would be celebrating his birthday soon. That woman gave Sophia an invitation card. She’s likely waiting to watch Sophia make a fool out of herself. Pick out something from your grandmother’s collection and give it to Sophia to be presented as a gift.”
Back when Penelope was involved in trading, she would frequent antique shops while on her business trips. Thus, she had collected quite some precious items at home. The Dawson family even built a room in the mansion to be used as storage for the antiquities she collected.
After she passed away a few months ago, Perrin would browse through the items that reminded him of her whenever he was overwhelmed with grief. As he went through those items, he could almost hear her showing off to him with pride while saying, “Look at these, Perrin. While gold is highly prized during wartime, antiques are worth the most during a peaceful era. Any of these could easily sustain us through the year if we were to sell them in case our company went bankrupt under Kasper’s management.”
Since the Dawson family was prosperous, Perrin had never thought of selling anything in the storage room.
However, he figured that Penelope would likely lead a team in person, drive a car filled with antique items, and cast those items into the Queen residence one by one if she were still alive and heard of the Queen family’s mistreatment of Sophia.
Who the heck do they think they are?
Lukas was of the same mind. While he didn’t think Sophia had lost out in that situation, he agreed that the Queen family were stuck-ups. Thus, he supported the decision. “I understand, Grandpa.”
“Okay.” Perrin nodded before changing the topic. “You’re already thirty-five this year. When are you going to settle down? I remember you had known a girl named Sandra when you were at university. Are you still thinking about her? You better find her if you still think of her. Stop making me worry about you!”
Lukas, who got chided without reason, didn’t know what to say.
