Chapter 462 Pride
Alaric canceled an important dinner engagement and left work early to pick up Preston and take him to Harvest & Hearth.
When he arrived at the White Manor, Preston was on the phone, chatting with Tobias.
"Tobias, I have great news for you - Benjamin has recovered his memory!"
"Really? That's wonderful!" Tobias's eyes filled with surprise, and they also welled up with tears.
Benjamin was his grandson, and he'd been worried sick this whole time.
Now he could finally breathe easy.
"Yes, it's all thanks to Sophia. Her medical skills are getting better and better!" Preston said proudly, his face full of smiles.
Tobias couldn't help feeling jealous. Why didn't he have such a sweet granddaughter?
Adelaide was quiet, but she had a rebellious streak. Plus, because she'd studied abroad, they weren't really that close.
Adelaide was respectful toward him, but there was a noticeable lack of warmth between the elder and younger generations.
So, hearing Preston brag right now, Tobias was incredibly jealous.
Preston was completely oblivious and wanted to keep praising Sophia.
Every other sentence was "our Sophia..."
The more Tobias listened, the more frustrated he felt, wanting nothing more than to hang up immediately.
Fortunately, Preston's study door was soon knocked on.
Alaric's appearance interrupted the chat between Preston and Tobias.
Tobias finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if seeing his savior.
Preston looked at Alaric and asked curiously, "Isn't your company busy? It's not even noon yet."
"Not busy. I happen to be free today. Grandpa, let me take you out for a meal." Alaric walked over and sat down in front of Preston, smiling at him.
"Why eat out? Don't we have chefs at home? The food outside isn't very healthy."
Preston was getting older and less and less interested in going out.
Plus, his health hadn't been great these past couple of years, so he'd gradually seen less of his old friends too.
Being suddenly asked to go out, he felt a bit uncomfortable with the idea.
But Tobias suddenly urged, "Preston, Alaric rarely has time to eat with you. Just go."
Preston hesitated.
Alaric immediately chimed in, "Right, Grandpa. I've reserved a private room at Harvest & Hearth. We eat at home every day - we should change it up once in a while."
Hearing this, Preston started to soften.
He gave Alaric a meaningful look. "Is there something you need to tell me?"
Alaric's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered.
He didn't answer, but asked with a smile, "So, Grandpa, are you going or not?"
"Fine, I'll go. You young people, always beating around the bush, never direct about anything."
Preston snorted, said goodbye to Tobias, and ended the video call.
He stood up, leaning on his cane, and headed outside.
Alaric immediately stepped forward to help him walk out, quietly breathing a sigh of relief.
But before he could fully relax, they ran into Lachlan outside the room.
Alaric froze, his expression becoming a bit unnatural.
Ever since Alaric learned that Lachlan was Valentin, the one responsible for nearly tearing the White family apart, Alaric hadn't wanted to be nice to him.
But lately, dealing with businesspeople all the time, Alaric had gradually learned to hide his emotions.
So Alaric quickly returned to normal.
"Dad, Alaric, where are you two going?" Lachlan came up to them, asking with a smile.
"Lachlan, I'm taking Grandpa out for a meal and to get some fresh air."
Alaric's lips curved in a faint smile, polite and dignified, giving no one anything to criticize.
Lachlan looked slightly surprised. "Fresh air? Dad, are you not feeling well?"
Preston waved his hand, looking somewhat troubled. "I've been having trouble sleeping these past few days. When you can't sleep for a long time, you get irritable. So Alaric said he'd take me out for a walk."
Hearing his answer, Alaric silently gave him a thumbs up in his mind.
As expected of Preston, his words were absolutely airtight.
Lachlan immediately showed a concerned expression. "Dad, should we get a doctor to check on you? Didn't Sophia make you some calming medicine before? Isn't it working anymore?"
Preston sighed softly. "I guess when you use the same thing for too long, you build up a tolerance. I'll ask Sophia in a few days if she has any new calming medicine."
"Alright. Do you need me to come along?" Lachlan nodded and asked again.
Preston waved his hand impatiently. "No need. Having Alaric with me is enough. Did you come specifically to see me?"
Lachlan said, "Yes, I just wanted to check on you, and also to let you know that in a couple of days I have a very important shoot and need to go to Celestria."
"Why are you going to Celestria again? Didn't you just get back?"
Preston frowned, somewhat displeased.
Lachlan clearly wasn't someone with a strong career drive, yet he was often away on business trips.
He had no idea what Lachlan was so busy with.
Lachlan smiled helplessly. "I don't want to either, but this shoot is really urgent."
Preston knew he had to go and didn't say anything more, just reminded him, "Be safe."
Then he said goodbye to Lachlan and left by car.
Lachlan watched them leave for a long time, a complicated look flashing in his eyes.
On the other side, after Preston got in the car, he asked in a serious tone, "Tell me, what are you really taking me out for?"
"Grandpa, please be patient. We'll talk once we get to the private room."
Preston had no choice but to wait quietly.
When they entered the private room, he discovered there were other people there.
Benjamin was there, and so was Matthew.
"Grandpa."
Seeing him appear, Benjamin stood up from the sofa in the private room and came forward to greet him.
"Did you all plan this together?"
Preston glanced at the two of them, then asked after sitting down at the dining table.
Benjamin and Alaric exchanged a look and nodded. "Grandpa, there's something very important we need to tell you."
Preston looked at their serious expressions and couldn't help but pause. "What happened?"
"This matter... It's a long story. We hope you're prepared."
Alaric took a deep breath, unsure for a moment whether their choice was right or wrong.
"Just tell me. I've lived this long - what storms haven't I weathered?" Preston urged dismissively.
Alaric thought to himself, Maybe you really haven't experienced this particular one.
"By the way, where's Sophia? How come I don't see her?" Preston looked around curiously, not taking what they had to say seriously at all.
Actually, he had some guesses, so he'd prepared himself mentally and wasn't that nervous.
After all, both Benjamin and Alaric were known for being calm and composed.
For them to be this serious about it, it must be something big.
Benjamin said, "Sophia isn't feeling well. I had her stay home and rest."
"Not feeling well? What's wrong?" Preston, who had been so calm just moments ago, immediately became anxious.
Alaric quickly reassured him, "It's really nothing, Grandpa. Don't worry."
Benjamin's lips parted slightly, his eyes full of hostility. "Grandpa, I suggest you hear the bad news first. It's about Lachlan."