Pursuing Her Free Preview

It was annoyingly hot in Horington by the time June arrived.

After the self-study session ended at night, Sophie Tanner waited till the other students filed out before she got on her bicycle. She took the road to a quiet alley to head home. It might be deserted, but she could shorten her journey by over ten minutes.

Before she could cycle out of the alley, she caught a whiff of blood with her keen nose.

Sophie was pretty familiar with the scent of blood. Other girls would've fled the scene if they were in her shoes.

However, Sophie was no ordinary young woman. She continued riding on her bicycle as though nothing had happened.

Indeed, five minutes later, she saw a fight happening in this desolate alley.

One of Sophie's feet was on the ground, and the other was on the pedal. She stuck one hand into her pocket and held her bicycle with the other as she whistled loudly to catch the others' attention.

There were over a dozen tall men beating a man up. As there were no lights in the alley, she peered at the man who was surrounded by the rest under the moonlight.

Looks like he's the one who got hurt.

Hearing Sophie's whistle, everyone present turned to look at her.

“Scram!”

As she was tall, skinny, and clad in her school uniform, the leader of the attackers barked at her furiously.

Sophie's brow knitted together impatiently.

“You're blocking my way.”

“You have a death wish!” the leader snarled testily. They had gone to great lengths before getting the opportunity to take action against Tristan Lombard.

Anyone who stopped them from doing that would have to die.

It only took one look from him to get two men to march toward Sophie.

Glancing at her watch, Sophie realized it was already half past ten at night.

Before they could lay a hand on her, Sophie placed her other foot on the pedal and cycled toward the men in black swiftly.

In the blink of an eye, she managed to hit one man with her bicycle, who stumbled to the ground in a miserable heap.

Placing both palms on her seat, Sophie whipped around and kicked another man forcefully.

The leader belatedly realized he had overestimated Sophie's capability.

At once, he ordered, “Kill them both.” They didn't have much time left. If Tristan's men arrived, they wouldn't be able to take him out any longer.

Tristan was barely alive when he heard the leader's order. He immediately pulled himself together. I can't die here.

Sophie initially planned to leave after teaching the men a lesson.

She happened to walk past Tristan and caught a glimpse of him. Suddenly, her bicycle halted to a stop even though she had successfully escaped from the men.

“D*mn it.” Sophie changed her mind. I'm going to do a kind act today. Just for today.

The next moment, she turned her bicycle around and pedaled toward the men.

As Sophie didn't have any weapons, she grabbed two knives from the men.

Using her bicycle as leverage, she started attacking the men.

The men's expressions grew grim when they realized how vicious and swift Sophie could be.

“Kill them!” the leader commanded.

Sophie darted to Tristan deftly.

“You're still alive?”

“I'm not going to die.”

They didn't have a chance to continue their conversation, for the men began charging toward them.

Sophie was capable enough to defeat them all easily. Her actions were cool yet sassy.

After all the men had been beaten to a pulp, Sophie kicked the person who was blocking her path away.

“Goodbye. You're welcome.” She didn't want to continue poking her nose into his business.

She got onto her bicycle nimbly. It was almost eleven, so she needed to get home as soon as possible.

Alas, her bicycle remained rooted to the spot even after she started pedaling.

She turned at her shoulder and realized Tristan had grabbed the rear seat of her bicycle.

Her eyes were flashing with fury, for it was late at night.

“What else do you want?”

“Thank you.”

With that said, he fainted and lost consciousness.

“What the f*ck?” Sophie cursed under her breath as she glared at the man on the ground. Despite losing consciousness, he still looked as dignified as ever. In the end, she helped him up and used up all her might to place him on the rear seat of her bicycle. After doing that, she gritted her teeth and rode out of the alley.

As Tristan was shot, Sophie dared not bring him to the hospital.

A gunshot wound was too sensitive. She was pretty satisfied with her current life and didn't want to return to her past life.

If his gunshot wound wasn't dealt with, he would meet his doom before the sun rose tomorrow morning.

Sophie brought him to a medical laboratory at Horington University. She walked in freely as though she owned the place.

After switching on the lights, she placed Tristan on the dissection table that the medical students used for their experiments.

Opening one of the cabinets, she pulled out a surgical gown and put it on.

There were no anesthetics around. He had fainted, so she assumed he could bear the pain.

After putting on the surgical gloves, Sophie grabbed a pair of scissors and cut Tristan's bloodied shirt into half.

The bullet was pretty near to his heart, so if she didn't pay enough attention, his heart might suffer from a rupture.

She disinfected the scalpel and began to remove the bullet.

Tristan prided himself as a tough man, but the pain jolted him awake when the scalpel sank into his chest.

He glared at the young lady beside him who was holding the scalpel.

“Who are you? Do you have a death wish?”

Sophie had no idea Tristan would regain consciousness at this moment. It was understandable, though. There was an incision on his chest, so he was no less than a dead body if he were to remain motionless.

“If you want to survive, don't move,” she snapped impatiently.

Not wanting to waste more time, Sophie continued the surgery without hesitation.

“Mm!” Tristan moaned in anguish as she cut into his skin. However, that was the only moan he made throughout the entire surgery.

Tristan waited until the surgery ended before he allowed himself to faint.

“He has a strong willpower, huh?” Sophie remarked. After all, Tristan had remained awake the entire surgery and watched as she operated on him without taking any anesthetics. Hence, he deserved the praise.

Pulling his phone out, she typed out a text and sent it to a random name that was to her liking.

Sophie cleared the laboratory and left with her backpack. She didn't even bother sparing the man another look.

After receiving Tristan's text, Felix Northley rushed all the way to the medical laboratory at Horington University.

He was stunned to see Tristan lying on the dissection table.

I wonder who had the guts to do this? Doesn't he or she know who Tristan Lombard is? He's one of the Lombards from Jipsdale!

Tristan woke up and saw Felix standing before him.

“Mr. Tristan, who did this to you?” he asked curiously. The person must have a death wish! No one dares to do this to Mr. Tristan in Jipsdale.

Tristan shot the talkative Felix a look.

“Mr. Tristan, who brought you here?” Felix was sweating profusely after he learned of Tristan's disappearance.

If he meets his doom, many people in Jipsdale will have to die alongside him! I wonder who is the person who did this to him.

Felix's curiosity was piqued.

“The enemy hired mercenaries to take my life. Find out who saved me tonight.”

“No problem!”

Felix arranged for Tristan to be sent to Horington General Hospital without hesitation. The bullet might've been removed, but it was necessary for Tristan to undergo a checkup at the hospital.

The doctor at Horington General Hospital gaped in disbelief after he saw Tristan's wound.

This doctor was the top surgeon at Horington General Hospital. If he was tasked to operate on patients like Tristan, he would have to carry out the surgery carefully. After all, the bullet was too close to Tristan's heart.

The patient's heart would rupture if the surgeon wasn't careful enough. However, the person who saved Tristan managed to operate on him and remove the bullet successfully. Tristan's heart remained healthy. Only a selected few in Chanaea could complete this feat.

“What's wrong? Is there something wrong with his wound?” Felix panicked as the doctor stayed silent for way too long.

“Mr. Tristan, may I know who removed the bullet for you?” the doctor asked earnestly.

He was a famous surgeon in Horington, but this person was clearly more skillful than him.

“I don't know.” Tristan wanted nothing more than to know who was the person who saved him.

“The surgery was successful. You'll only have to recuperate for a few months.”

The doctor was sorely disappointed to learn that Tristan didn't know the person's identity. He was the top surgeon in all of Horington and only became the director of his department after working for over thirty years. Thus, he didn't expect to run into someone who was better than him.

After the doctor left, Tristan shot Felix a look. The latter immediately left to investigate the matter.

The next morning, Felix arrived at Tristan's ward to see the latter walking around.

“Mr. Tristan, do you have a death wish?” He couldn't believe that Tristan was paying no heed to his health.

If the person back in Jipsdale finds out about this, he'll rush here at once. Is he trying to get me in trouble?

“Stop talking nonsense,” Tristan snapped.

“I found out who saved you. Here you go.”

Felix handed a file to Tristan.

Tristan opened the file and pulled out the documents. His brows snapped together as he read the information inside.

“An eighteen-year-old student in her senior year?” How could a student in her senior year remove the bullet in my chest? ”Felix, how dare you pull such a stunt?”

Felix hurriedly waved his hands.

“I knew you wouldn't believe it. I was shocked when I read the file, too. But I've confirmed it myself. It's her.”

Felix showed him a photo.

Tristan took the photo from him. The young woman depicted in the photo had an unforgettable face. She was young, lively, and gorgeous. Her eyes were especially attractive.

“An eighteen-year-old student who is capable of defeating mercenaries and performing surgeries? Interesting.”

“Mr. Tristan, are we returning to Jipsdale?” Tristan landed in trouble the moment he arrived at Horington. Obviously, someone was intimidated by their presence here.

“We haven't solved anything yet. Why would we return? Are you scared? If you are, you're welcome to leave without me.”

Felix's lips twitched helplessly.

“Don't tell him about this.” The “him” Tristan was referring to was his father, William Lombard.

“What if Old Mr. Lombard asks about you? Do I have to keep it a secret?”

“Don't tell him anything.” Tristan was certain he could handle the matter himself.

“Let's go find her.”

When Felix found Sophie, the latter was surrounded by a few thugs.

“You're Sophie Tanner, right?”

Sophie was wearing Horington High School's uniform. Her sleeves were rolled up to expose her fair wrist.

Ignoring them, she strode forward.

“F*ck it, Boss. She just ignored you!” a lackey yelled. Everyone in Horington High School dared not go against their leader.

The leader of the thugs, Jack Keyes, bristled and rushed toward Sophie.

“I was talking to you. Are you f*cking deaf?” Jack demanded as he reached out to grab Sophie's hand.

Sophie halted in her tracks and spat out the gum she had been chewing a while earlier.

“Scram,” came her icy reply.

“Ha! You're quite hot-tempered, huh? You've offended someone whom you shouldn't have offended!” Jack declared.

Having said that, he reached out to attack Sophie.

Before he could lay a hand on Sophie, she threw him over her shoulders. Jack fell to the ground with a thump, and he could no longer move.

“Do you know who I am? My dad is—”

His yell was cut short by Sophie, who stepped on his cheek forcefully.

“Shut up!” she snapped irritably.

The other thugs trembled in fear, for they had no idea Sophie was this good at fighting.

“Call my dad!” Jack screamed. “I want Sophie Tanner to leave Horington!”

Everyone was pointing fingers at Sophie after seeing what she did to Jack.

There was a rumor saying that Sophie used to be a delinquent. She had an abortion in middle school after getting pregnant with a thug's child. Finding her embarrassing, her family ended up abandoning her in Horington. Thus, she had no choice but to fend for herself.

Sophie ignored their horrible insults and strode away.

A while later, a black car rolled to a stop beside her. The door was pushed open to reveal a tall and handsome man.

Coming to her, the man greeted, “Hello, Ms. Tanner. I am Felix Northley. My employer, Mr. Tristan, would like to talk to you.”

Sophie fished out a piece of gum from her pocket and started chewing on it.

Felix opened the door to the backseat, so Sophie hopped into the car.

The man inside was the very one she saved last night.

“You bled a lot but still survived. You're quite lucky, huh?” Sophie remarked nonchalantly. Her face was devoid of emotions.

She sounds really aggressive. The corner of Felix's lips twitched after hearing her words. Back in Jipsdale, only a handful dare to talk to Mr. Tristan this way.

“I am Tristan Lombard. Thank you for saving my life last night.”

Tristan gave her his name card.

Without looking at it, Sophie stuffed it into her backpack.

“Have you studied medicine before?” Felix blurted out. He couldn't tamp his curiosity, for Sophie was just eighteen years old. She was capable of removing a bullet from a gunshot wound and was thus no ordinary being.

Sophie shook her head.

“Nope. My neighbor is a vet, so I helped him a couple of times previously,” came her answer.

Hearing that, Felix turned to look at Tristan.

Hear that? You're nothing but an animal to her.

“Do vets know how to remove bullets?”

“Nope. He was almost dead, so there was no harm trying,” Sophie explained. She then told the driver, “Drop me off at the end of this street.”

The driver glanced at Tristan, who gave him a nod.

As requested, the driver stopped at the end of the street, and Sophie got out of the car.

“Ms. Tanner, don't you need our help?” After all, she seemed to have offended someone influential.

“No need.”

Sophie gave a dismissive wave. She was confident that she could handle the matter herself.

Before Tristan's car could leave, she hailed a taxi and left.

“Wow, that was sassy of her.” Felix had never seen any woman as cool and pretty as Sophie. “Mr. Tristan, do you think she can be trusted?” he asked.

“What do you think?” Tristan didn't even bother sparing him a look. “Interesting.”

Felix was befuddled. Did Mr. Tristan just comment that she's interesting?

“Mr. Tristan, have you taken a liking to her? Yes, I'll admit that she's pretty. In fact, she's prettier than those well-known beauties in Jipsdale. But she's too young!” he exclaimed.

Tristan shot him a look.

“How shallow of you.”

Felix fell silent. Yes, I'm shallow. Men are all shallow beings!

The next morning, Sophie arrived at her classroom to be told that the discipline teacher had come to look for her three times in a row.

“Soph, did you do something wrong?”

Everyone knew Sophie was a delinquent who loved getting involved in physical fights. However, no one had ever seen her fighting after she transferred to this high school. Sophie often slept in class, but almost everyone in Horington High School did the same. Horington High School was the worst high school in all of Horington, so the teachers didn't even bother to yell at the students for sleeping in class.

“Never mind. I'll go to his office.”

Sophie tossed her backpack onto her desk and went to the administration office.

In the administration office of Horington High School, the principal, Vincent Zeller, could barely tamp down his anger. “Sophie Tanner, how could you? I don't mind if you have a bad reputation, but why did you beat Jack Keyes up? Do you know who he is? He's the son of Percy Keyes, the deputy director! I can't believe you're bold enough to beat a government official's son up. He has been admitted to the hospital. What are you going to do now?” Vincent was already regretting accepting Sophie in the first place.

“I've called your mother. You're too good for us, so we dare not keep you here. You are free to go to any school that dares to take you in!” he concluded furiously.

Sophie didn't utter a word at all.

Soon, Sophie's mother, Charmaine Laird, arrived at Horington High School.

“Mr. Zeller, what happened? Did Sophie do anything wrong again?”

The moment Charmaine arrived, she didn't ask about the details and assumed it was Sophie's fault.

“We're no longer capable of teaching your daughter. Please take her with you today. She has offended Mr. Percy Keyes, a deputy director in a government agency. I'm in trouble no thanks to her. I shouldn't have taken her in in the first place!” Vincent expelled Sophie immediately without giving Charmaine any opportunity to speak.

Hearing that, Sophie spun on her heels and strode out of the administration office.

“Mr. Zeller, Sophie is still young. Please give her another chance. If she gets expelled from Horington High School, no other high school will take her in!” Charmaine pleaded, utterly flustered.

“Mrs. Tanner, I can't help you. You should worry about Mr. Keyes.” Vincent's stance remained firm.

Left with no choice, Charmaine left the office reluctantly.

Her frustration kicked in at the sight of Sophie outside. She raised her arm with the intention of giving Sophie a slap.

However, Sophie grabbed her arm and glared at her icily.

“Mrs. Tanner, what are you doing? You and the Tanner family should stay out of my business. You discarded me back then, right? Stop poking your nose into my business.”

They made their choice five years ago, right? They chose Willow, and I was their unwanted daughter.

“Sophie, what was that? How could you be that rude? What else are we supposed to do after your humiliating incident? You were the reason our family became the laughingstock of Jipsdale. Haven't you learned from your mistake?” Charmaine demanded.

Sophie was disappointed after hearing her words. Despite being her mother, Charmaine had never trusted her.

“I've humiliated you, so I've cut all ties with the Tanner family. Whether I die or live on is none of your business. Stop coming to me or butt into my business,” Sophie told her calmly. Going to her classroom, she grabbed her backpack and marched out of school.

Charmaine's disappointment increased when she saw how stubborn Sophie was.

I can't ignore her. No matter what, she's still my daughter. Besides, if Dad comes home and finds out we abandoned Sophie in Horington, there's no telling what he'll do. After all, Dad adores Sophie the most.

“Mr. Tristan, Sophie has been expelled from her school,” Felix promptly updated Tristan. “She's the youngest daughter of the Jipsdale Tanners who was abandoned in Horington.”

“She's Caleb Tanner's younger sister?” The Tanner family wasn't that influential in Jipsdale, but Tristan knew who Caleb was.

“Yep, she's Caleb Tanner's younger sister. Apparently, Sophie caused an uproar in Jipsdale for living together with a thug when she was in eighth grade. She even got an abortion.”

“Apparently? How could you believe a baseless rumor?”

Sophie isn't one who would live together with a thug and abort her child in middle school. That sounds ridiculous.

Felix scratched his nose awkwardly.

“It was her elder sister, Willow Tanner, who spilled the truth.”

“Willow Tanner?” Tristan had no recollection of the name.

“Mr. Tristan, this is the Tanner family's personal matter. Are you going to interfere?”

“I find Sophie extremely interesting. If we bring her back, she might be of use to us one day,” came Tristan's answer.

“What? Mr. Tristan, are you planning on letting her work in Lombard Group?” Felix was dumbfounded.

“Why? You've got a problem with that?”

Felix shook his head profusely.

“Of course not. I don't have any problem with that. You call the shots,” he responded in an attempt to butter up to his employer.

Night soon fell, but Charmaine couldn't figure out any solution. She didn't even get to meet Percy in person.

When she was about to leave without taking Sophie with her, Josiah Tanner's call arrived.

“Bring Sophie back no matter what. If you fail to do that, you don't have to come home,” Josiah ordered loudly once the call was connected.

“Bring Sophie back? Dad, five years ago, she...”

Before she could explain, Josiah had already hung up.

Frustration crept up Charmaine's heart at the thought of the people in Jipsdale waiting to see her make a joke out of herself. If she were to bring Sophie back, everyone would definitely gossip about them.

To her utter surprise, Caleb showed up before her.

“Aren't you in Anglandur? Why are you even here?” she blurted out in shock.

“Mom, I'm here to bring Sophie home.” Caleb's answer was curt.

“Caleb, you know about Sophie's reputation in Jipsdale. We can't afford to humiliate ourselves,” Charmaine insisted.

“We don't know exactly what happened five years ago. Thus, we can't just listen to one side of the story. I don't think Sophie did anything to humiliate our family. Back then, I allowed her to leave Jipsdale as she was suffering there. It is now time for her to return to Jipsdale to take the university entrance exam.”

As Caleb had made up his mind, Charmaine said nothing else despite her dislike for Sophie.

“I'm afraid she won't come back home with you. Don't you know her? She's stubborn and insistent.”

“Stay out of this. You can leave now. I'll bring Sophie back home.”

Without further ado, Caleb went to Sophie.

Sophie didn't know she'd run into Caleb here. Why is he here? I have nothing to do with the Tanners anymore. After all, they picked Willow over me, didn't they?

Sophie was about to walk past Caleb, so he reached out to stop her from leaving.

“It's me, Soph. I'm here to bring you home,” Caleb said gently.

Sophie's brows scrunched up. Does he want to bring me home? He wasn't even here during my most helpless and darkest moment. I don't need him now.

“Sir, you've gotten the wrong person.” Sophie pulled her hand out of his grip.

Caleb frowned. Looks like she hasn't forgiven us yet.

“Sophie, I know you hate us. We didn't have another choice back then.” He tried hard to persuade her to change her mind.

“You didn't have another choice? Ha! You did make your choice back then,” Sophie mocked.

“Sophie, Grandpa's back. He wants to see you. Even if we were at fault, Grandpa is innocent. He isn't doing well recently.” Caleb knew Josiah was the only one in the Tanner family that Sophie cared about.

“Got it. I'll pay him a visit.”

As expected, Sophie caved in after he mentioned Josiah.

He told her, “Grandpa told me to give you a ride back home.”

“I can head there myself.” Sophie refused to waste more time with him.

Back in her house in Horington, Sophie switched on her laptop and typed a series of codes. After getting what she wanted, she sent them to the Public Integrity Section.

Percy Keyes, huh? This information is enough to send him to jail! He's nothing but trash judging from his son's actions.

She then began packing up her stuff.

After stepping out of the airport, Sophie took a taxi to the hotel she reserved earlier. She might've agreed to come back, but there was no way she would live in the Tanner residence.

At the hotel, she checked in and went to her room to take a shower. All freshened up, she hailed a taxi to the Tanner residence.

“Mom, did you say Sophie's coming back?” Willow's expression grew grim after she learned about Sophie's return.

“Your grandpa told Caleb to bring her home.” Charmaine was seething, too.

“What does Grandpa want? After what Sophie did, people are still gossiping behind my back! Now that she's back, people will start saying that the Tanner family's daughters are...”

Sophie stepped into the house before Willow could finish her sentence. Clearly, Sophie had heard everything.

Willow wasn't afraid of being heard, anyway.

“Sophie, how could you be this shameless? If I were you, I would immediately end my life in shame!” Willow scorned. “If you feel sorry, you can end your life now.”

“Where's Grandpa?” Sophie ignored her blatantly. After all, she was back to see her grandfather as he wished to see her.

A wave of fury crashed through Willow.

“Mom, just look at her!” she huffed.

“Shut up!” Right then, Josiah descended from the stairs.

“Sophie's my granddaughter, and she has the right to stay in the Tanner residence. If you both have any objection, you can scram now.”

“Grandpa, you can't do this to me. Sophie—”

Josiah cut in, “Willow, don't you understand my words?” There was a hint of warning in his tone. “Sophie, come here. I haven't seen you for five whole years.”

Sophie's heart ached when she saw her grandfather's white hair. Obediently, she went to him.

“Grandpa, I'm here to pay you a visit.”

Oh, she's so skinny. They left her to her own devices in Horington when she was a kid, and there was no one who could take care of her.

Josiah squeezed her hands.

“Sophie, I wasn't here five years ago and had no idea what happened. Now that I'm back, no one will dare to bully you,” he promised.

“Thanks, Grandpa.” He was the only one who trusted her wholeheartedly in the family.

“There's no need to thank me. Morgan, go clean Ms. Sophie's room now.” Josiah was in a jovial mood after seeing Sophie. “Charmaine, you'll have to enroll Sophie into a school tomorrow,” he ordered.

“Dad, Sophie was expelled by her school five years ago. I'm afraid no school would take her in now,” Charmaine explained.

They weren't in Horington and couldn't pay a school to take Sophie in.

“Sophie can attend Jipsdale Premier High together with Willow,” Josiah added as though he hadn't heard her explanation.

“Dad, not everyone can get into Jipsdale Premier High. It's the hardest high school to get into in Jipsdale! Not even rich and influential people can send their children there. Willa got into Jipsdale Premier High through her own abilities.”

“Grandpa, you don't have to do this.” Sophie only came here to pay him a visit. She added, “Besides, I'm staying somewhere else. I'm not moving back.”

Josiah's face turned dark at her words.

“Sophie, I promise no one can bully you here. The Tanner family needs you,” he reiterated.

“Grandpa, Sophie knows nothing! All she does is fight and spend her time with delinquents.”

Bang!

Josiah slammed his teacup onto the table so loudly that the tea splashed out.

“Willow, you are to leave right this instance if you dare to utter one more word!” Josiah fumed. “Are my orders ineffective now as I wasn't home for five years?”

He turned to Sophie. “Sophie, are you going to disobey me, too?”

“Grandpa, I...” Sophie trailed off hesitantly. She would definitely ignore those words if they came from someone else's lips.

However, Josiah was the one who said those words, and he was the only one who cared for her.

“Okay, then.” I'll go to Jipsdale Premier High if that's Grandpa's last wish. ”I won't stay here, though,” she said.

If she were to stay under one roof with people she hated, she couldn't promise she wouldn't do anything to them.

“Fine. I won't force you to stay. But you've only returned tonight, so I want you to spend one night with me.”

Sophie nodded in response.

“Grandpa, it's late. You should go to bed. I'll stay home for the next few days to keep you company,” Sophie assured him. She didn't want to disappoint him.

“Good. I'm no longer young, so I want our family to get along with each other,” Josiah said pointedly. He then got up and went upstairs with Morgan's help.

Charmaine went to clean Sophie's room with Morgan, so only Sophie and Willow were left in the living room.

It seemed to Willow that Sophie wasn't the same person she used to be. No matter what, I'm the only daughter of the Tanner family.

“I can't believe you had the guts to come back home,” Willow sneered. There was a hint of malice on her face that was unbefitting of her age.

Sophie fished out a piece of gum from her pocket. She unwrapped the gum and stuffed it into her mouth.

“Willow, I'll definitely kick you out of the Tanner family!”

Having said that, Sophie spun on her heels and entered the room that she used to occupy.

Boiling with anger, Willow flopped back into the couch. D*mn it. How dare Sophie say that to me?

The next morning, Josiah brought Sophie to Jipsdale Premier High personally.

The principal of the school, Andy Langston, was also the head of the Jipsdale Department of Education. Busy with his duties, he would only make time to meet important people.

Josiah was a well-known figure in Jipsdale, so he was allowed to wait outside the principal's office with Sophie.

Andy only showed up at his office a little after eleven.

He immediately told his assistant to unlock the door and ushered them in. After learning about Sophie's condition, Andy was stumped.

Sophie's results wouldn't get her into any vocational schools, let alone the prestigious Jipsdale Premier High.

“Mr. Langston, I've never asked for anyone's help, but please do me a favor this time,” Josiah pleaded.

“Old Mr. Tanner, I'm not refusing to help you. I believe you know that Jipsdale Premier High is the top high school in Jipsdale. Most of our students are capable of entering Ivy League schools. I can't do anything with Sophie's results. I think you should try applying to vocational schools instead. I don't think other high schools would take her in with her results.”

Sophie had never wanted Josiah to ask someone else for help, so she got up to leave.

Josiah knew how proud she was, so he rose to his feet and went after her hastily.

Right then, Andy received a call from Felix.

After hanging up on his call, Andy rushed out of the office and cried, “Please wait, Old Mr. Tanner. I'll take Ms. Sophie Tanner as a student.”

His attitude had taken a one-eighty from before.

Even Josiah had no idea why the principal had suddenly changed his mind.

“Are you sure, Mr. Langston?” Josiah asked.

“That's right, Old Mr. Tanner. I'll have her placed in a class right away.” Then, Andy immediately called the high school's academic head and informed her about Sophie's immediate enrolment.

Sophie went along with the enrolment, but even she knew things were hardly as simple as they seemed.

The academic head promptly assigned Sophie to the worst-performing class in the school. After receiving her school uniform, Sophie was handed over to the homeroom teacher of Senior Class 8, Derrick Hayes.

Before Josiah left, he said to Derrick, “I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on Sophie, Mr. Hayes.”

“It's no trouble at all, Sir! You should head back. I'll lead Sophie to her class soon,” came Derrick's courteous reply.

That was the only answer he could give, seeing as every student at Jipsdale Premier High had a wealthy or influential parent that the teachers could not afford to offend.

Derrick happened to be in charge of the third lesson of the day for Senior Class 8, so he personally escorted Sophie to her new classroom.

When he arrived at the classroom, he announced, “Hi, everyone, we have a new student in our class. She'll introduce herself. Please give her a warm welcome.”

Sophie walked onto the podium at the front of the room and wrote her full name on the board.

Then, she declared, “Hi, everyone, my name is Sophie Tanner.”

Sophie Tanner? Her new classmates immediately whispered furiously among themselves.

“Isn't she the Sophie Tanner who was expelled five years ago?”

“I think so! She used to be in my class.”

“I heard she had an abortion around tenth grade. Do you know if it's true?”

“It was! Back then...”

Derrick piped up, “All right, everyone, settle down. There's a seat at the end of the classroom, Sophie. You can take that.”

Sophie obediently went to the last row and ignored the spiteful glares directed her way.

The students in Senior Class 8 did not produce spectacular grades. Naturally, most of them came from elite circles.

Their upbringing meant they were the farthest thing from cowards. Once Derrick ended his lesson, Queenie Lane sauntered to Sophie and taunted, “It really is you, Sophie! I can't believe you're thick-skinned enough to return to Jipsdale. If I were you—”

“Shut your trap, Queenie,” Sophie cut in abruptly. Queenie had always been a member of Willow's clique and had had her fair share of picking on Sophie in the past.

Sophie was nursing a headache after a sleepless night in an unfamiliar house, and she was in no mood to entertain Queenie's prissy attitude.

Alas, Queenie did not fear Sophie at all. She grabbed Sophie's hand and continued, “We're not in Horington anymore, Sophie. Did you think you were something in Jipsdale?” She still believed Willow's sister was as meek as before.

Sophie's beautiful eyes narrowed dangerously.

In the blink of an eye, she twisted her hand and grabbed Queenie's wrist, swiftly bending it backward.

“Ahh!” Queenie yelped in pain.

Their classmates noticed the threat in Sophie's eyes, and no one dared to step forward to break up the fight.

Sophie declared, “I don't want to cause trouble, but I'm not a target for you to pick on, either. Remember this, Queenie. I'm not the same Sophie from five years ago. Not just anyone can trample over my dignity. Oh right! I'm sure you remember what you all did to me five years ago. I'll make sure you all have a taste of your own medicine soon.”

She suddenly felt as though coming back had been the right decision.

After that, she shoved Queenie roughly, causing the latter to fall to the ground.

Queenie was dumbstruck.

Sophie was utterly fearsome.

I can't allow Sophie to remain in Jipsdale. We have to get rid of her!

Sophie spent the last two lessons of the class sprawled across her desk, asleep. After school ended, she grabbed her bag and left.

She had just set foot outside the school gates when she spied Felix waiting outside.

Mr. Langston must've changed his mind because of them!

Before Felix had said a thing, Sophie decisively got into the car beside him.

Felix did not utter a single word of the speech he had prepared.

With impatience brimming in her gaze, Sophie announced, “Tristan Lombard, right? I saved you last time, and you helped me today, so we're even. Don't look for me again.”

She believed Felix and Tristan were complex characters, and she did not wish to be involved with them further.

Meanwhile, Tristan replied, “My life is worth a fortune.” He merely asked Felix to make a call, and it was nothing compared to what she did for him.

He continued, “I'm Tristan Lombard of Lombard Group, and I need your help.”

His words flustered Felix, who wondered, We can have anyone we want in the world. Why must Mr. Tristan insist on this Sophie Tanner?

Sophie stared at Tristan and said drily, “I have poor grades and poor morals. What exactly do you want from me?”

People rarely stared Tristan straight in the eyes, and he knew in that instant that he was staring at an extraordinary young woman.

“Your medical skills,” came Tristan's reply.

“Medical skills? Are you pulling my leg? I'm an eighteen-year-old high school student. What would I know about medicine? I've said this many times; I managed to remove the bullet from your body out of sheer luck. You would be dead now if luck hadn't been on my side.”

Tristan merely insisted, “I'm dead serious, Sophie. Please consider my offer carefully.”

Lombard Group was rumored to be the corporation every elite in Jipsdale wanted to consort with, yet this young woman appeared to scoff at the golden opportunity.

Sophie was too tired to argue with them. It was clear that they would not give up regardless of what she said. She left the car.

Felix whined, “Just be honest if you're trying to woo her, Mr. Tristan! She's obviously not falling for your odd excuses.”

Tristan stared after her, utterly taken by the young woman.

After leaving Tristan's car, Sophie's phone rang.

She unlocked her phone and immediately hung up when she saw the phone number.

The caller did not seem to understand the meaning of giving up and called Sophie more than ten times.

With a shrug of resignation, Sophie eventually answered the call and fumed, “You better have some important news. I'm in a foul mood today.”

“Phantom, your persistently ill temper never ceases to amaze me. When are you coming back?” Butterfly was unperturbed by Sophie's outburst.

“Out with it!”

“All right! Jeez. There's an assignment. Do you want to take it?” Phantom was notorious for accepting assignments depending on her mood, but she had a perfect track record. Her status as the youngest member of Wings of Light hardly mattered when she was the best.

Sophie replied curtly, “Nope.”

Butterfly urged, “Phantom, this assignment is related to Chanaea's Internet security. I hope you'll seriously consider it before rejecting it.” If Phantom had rejected any other assignment, Butterfly would have left her alone.

“Internet security?” Sophie's interest was piqued. “Fine. Send the information over.” She hung up right after that.

Butterfly had more to say but dropped the conversation after hearing Sophie's instructions. She quickly prepared the information for Sophie's perusal.

Meanwhile, Tristan had hurried back to Lombard Group's offices after receiving a call from Charles Quigley.

“Phantom has appeared, Mr. Tristan,” Charles declared in excitement.

No one would be surprised if he fainted after discovering his idol's appearance.

Tristan ordered, “Gather everyone in the company. I must figure out who Phantom is.”

Phantom was the most skilled hacker in existence, and no one knew its gender or identity. It was revered as a legend, and every international corporation wanted to hire Phantom's services.

With Phantom at the helm, internet insecurity would be a thing of the past.