apter 10 An Unpleasant Encounter
"Eat your food. Are you going to be full just by staring at me?â"At that, Ysabelle promptly buried her
head in the food. While Uncle Tristan is devastatingly handsome, I still canât get full from staring at
him.Sophie didnât turn to rebuff their kind intentions, and she ate everything the both of them
presented before her.Her appetite wasn't ginormous in the first place, so she only ate half a bowl of
pasta at most.Pegasus Pavilion's dishes were indeed pretty good, but she didn't eat much.âIs the
food not to your liking?â She's too thin. She's almost one point seven meters, but she probably
weighs only ninety pounds.âNo, it's good. I just don't eat much usually."You eat even lesser than I
do, Soph. We are still in the process of growing now, so you've got to eat more.â Ysabelle, who had
been quiet for a while, started chattering nonstop once more."Okay.â Sophie didn't refute that.It was
rather late after they finished lunch. Tristan personally sent them both to their nightly self-study
session.When the car was five minutes away from school, Felix pulled over.âStudy hard,â Tristan said
to Ysabelle.âGot it, Uncle Tristan! Do you still not know that I'm always a good girl?â Ysabelle was still
all smiles.When Sophie and Ysabelle returned to class, all the students in the class were talking
about Yvonne transferring schools.âQueenie, aren't you good friends with Yvonne? Why did she
suddenly transfer schools? Is it because of the incident this morning?ââExactly! Didn't you say that
Sophie will definitely be expelled? What exactly is going on here?"âHow would I know? I can't even
get in touch with her now.âAs soon as Queenie saw Sophie walking in, she immediately zipped her
mouth.Could it really be because of her? But the Zales family is quite reputable in Jipsdale, and the
average person can't possibly affect them.Ysabelle went back to her seat. Shortly after, she rushed
over in search of Sophie. This is for you, Sophie! She's my favorite amateur singer. Although sheâs
an amateur singer, her music is really great. I love her a lot!â She handed Sophie a music player."We
should start studying.â*Ah, then I'll be returning to my seat.âBecause of Yvonne's incident, the self-
study session that night appeared unusually quiet.No one dared to pick trouble with Sophie and
Ysabelle After the self-study session, Ysabelle waited for Sophie at the side.â"Why are you still
here?â Her family has probably come to pick her up.âI've been waiting for you! Let's go! Everyone
has left."Ysabelle took her bag out from the drawer and carried it before she went out with
Sophie.They had only walked for a little while when the car they rode in that afternoon came into
sight."Your uncle is here to pick you up, so go home first."However, Ysabelle grabbed her hand and
refused to let go.âI'll have him drop you off first.â While saying that, she resolutely dragged Sophie
into the car.This time, Tristan drove personally without Felix there. Finally, Ysabelleâs wish to sit with
Sophie in the back seat came true.Throughout the drive, she was still the one to chatter endlessly.
Sophie, on the other hand, gave brief answers occasionally. Tristan drove Ysabelle home first.âYou
must help me send Sophie back, Uncle Tristan. You're not allowed to bully her, okay? If you do so,
I'll... I'll... Never mind. You probably won't do that.â Ysabelle truly didn't have the guts to threaten
her uncle.Only after watching her enter the Lombard manor did Tristan turn the car around."What
exactly do you want from me, Mr. Tristan?"He's the top dog in Jipsdale, but he has been circling me
the whole of today. Therefore, he can't possibly have no ulterior motives.âDo you still remember
saving me in Horington? The mastermind knows that you were the one who saved me, so you're
now in great danger.â In danger? Oh, I see.â Sophie didn't react much to that piece of news. Instead,
she asked, âSo?""I'll protect you before the danger is neutralized.â Oh..."Hmm, I'm merely a normal
high school student now, so I should react like a high schooler.âJipsdale Hotel, please.â Sophie
didnât want to continue talking about that subject.Tristan didnât speak further either. When the car
arrived at Jipsdale Hotel, he didnât leave. Instead, he got out of the car.âIs something else the
matter?ââI'm going to check out your living situation.âSophie was promptly rendered
speechless.What exactly is he trying to do?She was staying in a single room in Jipsdale Hotel.
Everything she had was still in her suitcase, which remained unpacked.Initially, she hadn't planned
on staying long in Jipsdale. But judging from her grandfather's condition, she couldn't leave for the
time being."This is everything there is to see. It's very safe here.âIt couldn't be clearer that she was
giving the man the boot.âPack your things and move into Wisteria Apartments before the danger is
neutralized.â Tristan had a unit in Wisteria Apartments, so she could stay there temporarily.âIs
Lombard Group that desperate to hire new employees, Mr. Tristan? I haven't even graduated high
school.â Sophie didn't believe that the top dog in Jipsdale would care about a high schooler.âDonât
worry, for I won't coerce you into anything you're unwilling to do.âIt must be some mysterious
organization seeking to assassinate him. After all, someone who can afford to hire mercenaries can't
be a simple character.Sophie decided not to stand on formality with him.Since heâs so eager to take
responsibility for my safety, I'll just give him that opportunity. I can deal with those assassins, but
I've got something else to do on my trip to Jipsdale this time. Hence, there's no need for me to
waste my time on that.Everything of hers was basically still in her suitcase, so she didnât have much
to pack. Wheeling the suitcase along, she left with Tristan.The car went straight to Wisteria
Apartments. It was the most high-end and expensive residential area in Jipsdale. On top of that, it
was even within the area of Jipsdale Premier High. Thus, one could only imagine its price."You
probably don't live here, yes?"âl do occasionally.â Tristan had Sophie register her fingerprint. âStay
here with peace of mind. I'm not going to stay here during your stay.â" Thank you." Tristan opened
the door to a room. The décor inside was exceedingly simple, in line with the impression he gave
others.Sophie didn't unpack her suitcase. Not only was she uncertain about how long she was going
to stay there, but she didnât have much luggage, so she was in no hurry to unpack.âLet's go! There's
a supermarket downstairs. I'll bring you down to buy some necessities.âIt's very late. I'm tired and
would like to rest.â Sophie didn't feel like going out to shop.âThere aren't even any toothbrush or
towels here. It'll only take about ten minutes.âOkay, then."The two of them proceeded to the
supermarket downstairs. Sophie was a speedy shopper, so it only took her ten minutes to choose
some daily necessities.After an exhausting day, all she wanted to do was go back and rest. She
looked back, but she didn't see any signs of Tristan.Not in the mood to look for him everywhere, she
waited at the cashier.Before Tristan showed up, however, she caught sight of Queenie. Queenie
hadn't expected to see her there either.âl was just wondering who it was, and it turned out to be
you, Ms. Sophie! You hooked up with a ruffian back then, so who else did you seduce this time?â
Her voice was shrill and loud, making it so that everyone around could hear that."Who is she,
Queenie?â Queenieâs boyfriend was with her. The instant he glimpsed Sophie, he couldn't take his
eyes off her anymore.Queenie was considered quite a beauty, but the girl before her stood at a
height of about one point seven meters, complete with long and slender legs. Her skin was
extremely fair, and one couldn't forget her countenance just after a single look. Her eyes, especially,
were bewitching.Clocking the look in her boyfriend's eyes as he stared at Sophie, a sense of utter
chagrin rose within Queenie. She's still as shameless as before, seducing men all the time!