Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Not Picking Up Your Wife Anymore?

Five minutes passed.

Noelle Sutton had already put her phone away.

But Tristan Lawson’s phone remained silent.

No new WeChat messages.

No new texts.

No missed calls.

He irritably lit another cigarette.

Pale blue smoke swirled around him, his clean-cut, handsome features flickering in and out of the light. The inscrutable darkness in his eyes made it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

When the cigarette burned down to its end, Tristan Lawson’s expression darkened. "Secretary Shaw, back to the office."

"We’re not picking up your wife?"

A frigid glare shot his way.

Secretary Shaw instantly shut his mouth, started the car, and stepped on the gas.

The black, fully-loaded Maybach slowly pulled out of the hotel parking lot.

The next second, another car arrived and picked up Noelle Sutton.

Tristan Lawson’s phone suddenly rang.

Before he could even pull the phone from his suit pocket, he said in a low voice, "Stop the car."

Tristan Lawson took out his phone, but the name on the caller ID wasn’t Noelle Sutton.

The light in his eyes dimmed.

He answered the call.

"Tristan, Adrian Grant got back from his business trip today. He said we haven’t seen each other in a while and wants to grab a drink tonight."

It seemed like a long time since Tristan Lawson had last had a drink.

His mood today was perfect for drinking.

"I’m in."

"I see Sophie’s back too. He’s bringing her along. See you at The Carmine Club at eight."

Tristan Lawson hung up and gestured for Secretary Shaw to drive back to the office.

Back at the office, Tristan Lawson focused all his attention on arranging the new studio.

Years ago, Sophie Hughes had a dream: to get into Glenwater Media University and become a student of Director Ford.

But then, Tristan Lawson had to go to Aridia to study.

Tristan was thirteen at the time, and since the Lawson family had no one free to accompany him, Sophie’s grandparents, who were worried about him, immigrated to Aridia and took Sophie with them.

Once they were no longer in the country, her grandparents couldn’t bear to let her return alone for her studies.

She ended up attending a good media university in Aridia as well, majoring in animation design.

Of course, during the years she was away, Director Ford’s accomplishments grew, earning her industry-wide recognition and establishing her as the country’s top animation producer.

Every time Sophie Hughes saw Director Ford in the trending news, she felt a pang of regret.

This was especially true now that she had hit a creative bottleneck and needed a breakthrough. It just so happened that Tristan Lawson was in Aridia for a business trip, so Sophie mentioned her desire to return to her home country to find Director Ford.

So, Tristan Lawson flew back on the same plane with her, planning to help her become Director Ford’s student.

Now that Director Ford had agreed, he wanted to finalize the arrangements as quickly as possible.

Director Ford was a specially appointed animation instructor at Glenwater Media University, and she had her own studio.

However, Tristan Lawson also greatly admired Director Ford’s dedication and contribution to the animation industry, so he was more than willing to invest in her.

Besides, Director Ford was also his wife’s cherished mentor, so he didn’t mind spending a little extra money.

Of course, he had another motive.

’If Noelle gets bored at home, she can visit her mentor at the studio from time to time.’

’Therefore, it would be best if the studio was close to Westhill Villa.’

Throughout the day, Tristan Lawson not only worried about arranging the studio but also had to deal with a backlog of company business.

It was an incredibly busy day.

He even had dinner at the office.

A little after seven in the evening, he had Secretary Shaw take a detour back to Westhill Villa to pick up Sophie Hughes.

Adrian Grant and Kyle Sawyer were his childhood friends; they had grown up together.

The reason Kyle Sawyer had invited Sophie Hughes was that the Sawyer and Hughes families had been neighbors. Kyle, a classic playboy scion, had been a troublemaker since he was a child. Sophie used to do his homework for him, and sometimes, when he got into trouble, she would even take the blame. As a result, they were extremely close.

They arrived at The Carmine Club.

Kyle Sawyer and Adrian Grant were already seated in the best booth in the house.

They hadn’t booked a private room. ’Typical Kyle,’ Tristan thought.

The Carmine Club was a famous high-end lounge in Glenwater.

The main hall featured a pole dancing extravaganza at night, with a new lineup of famously seductive and sultry dancers rotating in every week at most.

The moment Kyle Sawyer saw Sophie Hughes, he rushed over, opened his arms, and swept her up, spinning her around several times. A startled Sophie cried out, "Kyle, put me down!"

Adrian Grant, meanwhile, remained seated. He had just lit a cigarette and, seeing Tristan Lawson approach, offered one to him.

Tristan sat down, and Adrian picked up a lighter to light it for him.

Kyle put Sophie down and teased, "You’re no fun! I haven’t seen you in ages. Just a little hug. Tristan doesn’t even mind, so why are you worried about him getting jealous?"

Sophie Hughes frowned and reminded him, "Tristan is married. Don’t talk nonsense."

Kyle grabbed Sophie’s shoulders, pushed her down onto the sofa, and leaned in close, insistent on catching up with her.

"How am I talking nonsense? Just because I haven’t been in Glenwater lately doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on. I saw it in the news—Tristan bought the Love of Crimson Flame at auction and gave it to you."

"Stop it. Not another word." Sophie Hughes picked up a glass of wine and shoved it into Kyle’s hand. "Use this to shut your mouth."

Kyle was a chatterbox, and since he hadn’t seen Sophie in so long, he pulled her into a long conversation.

Tristan Lawson took a drag from his cigarette. The main hall was dim, intermittently illuminated by colorful mood lighting that flickered across his features, making him look all the more handsome and mysterious.

He raised his glass, clinked it against Adrian Grant’s, and drank about half of it before saying coolly, "You needed me for something?"

"Yeah." Adrian leaned back against the booth, his posture lazy but his tone serious. "Hugo Sterling asked me to find someone for him."

Tristan Lawson said casually, "Looking for that childhood fiancée of yours who went missing?"

"Guessed it that quickly, huh?"

"Who else would the Sterling family be looking for besides their long-lost youngest daughter?" Tristan took a small sip of red wine from his crystal glass, his expression unconcerned. "They searched for so many years without finding her. Haven’t they already given up?"

"Hugo said Mrs. Sterling is gravely ill and probably won’t make it through the next six months. Her dying wish is to try searching one last time, to see if there’s any sliver of hope."

"It’s been twenty years. Where would they even start looking?"

The Sterling family isn’t just some ordinary household. They spent a fortune in manpower and resources looking for her in the past and found nothing. It’s not going to be any easier now.

Adrian Grant smiled. "Which is why I had to come to you for help."

"I’m not a miracle worker."

Adrian raised his glass, and the two men clinked them together again.

Adrian’s voice was relaxed. "Alright, don’t be so modest. Others might not know what you’re capable of, but how could I not? With that massive information network of yours, it should be easier for you than for anyone else. Just look if you can. If you can’t find her, then that’s that. But if you do manage to bring her back, given the relationship between my father and Uncle Sterling, I’ll have no choice but to go through with the marriage."

It was a rare get-together with an old friend, so Tristan Lawson chatted casually. "You’re overthinking it. By my calculation, the girl should be twenty-six this year, right? A woman that age is probably already married."

"It’d be for the best if she’s married. At least then my dad couldn’t force me to marry her."

Tristan’s glass was empty. He set it down, and just as he was about to pour more wine, he saw a familiar figure walk in, followed by a man who was bowing and scraping.

The depths of Tristan Lawson’s eyes suddenly darkened.