Chapter 373 Change the Name Back
Under Preston's stern and imposing presence, the dining table remained peaceful.
Halfway through the meal, Lachlan broke the silence first. "Benjamin, I heard you've been seeing a doctor recently. Is something wrong with your health?"
The second branch of the family didn't know about Finnley's memory being tampered with.
According to Preston, the fewer people who knew about this, the better.
Finnley looked up at him briefly, then said casually, "Nothing serious, just a minor injury from before."
Lachlan nodded with a smile. "That's good. I thought something bad had happened again."
Celestia's eyes darted around, and she asked with confusion, "If it's just a minor injury, why not let Sophia treat it? Doesn't she claim to be really good at medicine?"
As soon as she said this, the atmosphere at the table became tense.
Preston's sharp gaze shot straight at her. "Can't even eating keep your mouth shut?"
"I'm just stating facts! Unless... Benjamin's injury is so serious that even Sophia can't treat it? Wouldn't that be really serious?"
When Celestia said this, she didn't think much of it—she just wanted to embarrass Sophia.
Even Arabella stepped in to back Celestia up. "Dad, Lachlan and Celestia are just concerned about Benjamin's health. If you ask me, if Benjamin is really badly hurt, he should go to the hospital. Self-taught medical skills aren't reliable after all."
Anyone could see that Arabella was clearly trying to humiliate Sophia.
Sophia calmly looked up, her gaze falling on Arabella's face, a faint smile on her lips.
"Arabella's right. Self-taught medical skills really can't be trusted."
Everyone at the table was stunned, not understanding what she meant.
Then they heard Sophia continue, "But you probably don't know that nowadays, no matter what kind of medicine you practice, you need certification."
"And I happen to have all those medical certificates."
Arabella choked, unable to get words out, her face darkening terribly.
Preston silently observed everything without saying another word.
The meal ended in this strange atmosphere. Under the table, Finnley quietly held Sophia's slender hand, interlacing their fingers.
His rough thumb gently caressed her delicate skin, silently comforting her.
After lunch, Lachlan and Preston sat on the sofa chatting, with Celestia and Arabella sitting on either side.
Sophia leaned on Finnley's shoulder, whispering to him.
Finnley looked down, idly playing with her fair, delicate fingers.
Sophia lightly poked his shoulder, her bright eyes sparkling.
"Why don't you just change your name back? Both names refer to you anyway."
Finnley grabbed the fingers messing around on him and asked teasingly, "Which name do you like better?"
"I like both."
A name was just a label anyway.
As long as the person was still the same person, nothing else mattered.
Finnley raised an eyebrow, persistently asking, "If you had to choose one? Which one do you prefer?"
Sophia's lively, clear eyes rolled around, a sly glint passing through them.
"If you insist on asking, then I prefer your old name."
"Alright, then I'll go cancel the Finnley identity documents in a few days."
Since he was back now, he might as well completely leave his old life behind.
"Okay, I'll go with you." Sophia smiled and held Finnley's hand, her eyes gentle and sincere.
Across from them, Celestia watched the interaction between Sophia and Finnley, a bitter resentment growing in her heart.
Though she couldn't hear what they were saying, seeing the charming smile on Sophia's face made her want to go crazy.
But now wasn't the time to act.
Just wait—one day, she would completely crush Sophia under her feet.
After Preston and Lachlan finished talking, Celestia suppressed her anxiety and asked, "Grandpa, can I stay here for a few days?"
Preston looked up at Celestia. "Why do you suddenly want to stay?"
Meeting Preston's cold, sharp eyes, Celestia's heart grew even more panicked.
"I, I just want to keep you company, Grandpa. I used to see you every day, but now it's only once a month."
Celestia looked at Preston, her eyes slightly reddening, looking particularly pitiful.
Even though he knew Celestia's words weren't sincere, Preston couldn't help but soften for a moment after hearing them.
But it was only for a moment.
"Next time. The house is chaotic lately, and there are still many things to handle."
In a few days, Clifton would come to treat Finnley, and it wouldn't be convenient to have others around.
Besides, Celestia and Sophia didn't get along—if she stayed, they'd definitely fight.
He wanted to live a few more years.
He couldn't handle this kind of stress.
Celestia hadn't expected Preston to refuse her. She stared in disbelief.
She bit her lip hard, feeling infinitely wronged. "Grandpa, why are you so biased? Why can Sophia live here but I can't?"
"I'm your real granddaughter!"
"You know you're my granddaughter? Then can't you give me some peace?" Preston looked at her coldly, his eyes full of disappointment.
Lachlan tugged at Celestia's sleeve and stepped in to smooth things over. "Dad, Celestia cares about you. She means no harm."
"If she wants to show consideration for me, she should behave herself." Preston had no intention of indulging Celestia anymore.
Celestia was deeply stung by Preston's disappointed and cold look. She suddenly stood up from the sofa.
She pointed in Sophia's direction and shouted in a low voice, "What about her? Why does that shameless woman Sophia get to live here? But I, your real granddaughter, can't?"
Sophia hadn't expected the attack to turn back on her and felt speechless.
She rubbed her forehead helplessly, wondering what she'd done to upset Celestia this time.
"Celestia! Apologize to Sophia!" Finnley scolded with a dark expression.
Finnley's cold, menacing look scared Celestia badly.
She was terrified inside, but she still refused to back down. "I won't apologize! Am I wrong? During the two years you were gone, this cheap woman kept getting involved with Matthew!"
"She's just a shameless woman who only knows how to seduce men..."
Before she could finish, Celestia suddenly felt a burning pain on her cheek.