After entering the office, Julian Sterling looked down to unbutton his suit jacket as he walked, his peripheral vision falling on Sophie Winslow. "What document is so urgent?"
Sophie knew what he meant. He was probably blaming her for showing up uninvited, not wanting her identity exposed in the slightest lest it ruin Stella Sutton’s reputation. Giving a soft scoff, she walked over and placed the document on his desk. Avoiding his gaze, she pointed at it.
Julian’s gaze fell on the desk, and he glanced at the title on the first page: *Clarification of Post-Marital Assets*.
"I plan to buy a house for my grandfather. It’ll be paid from my personal savings, and I intend to take out a loan. I need you to sign this to clarify that the funds are entirely mine." Sophie kept her tone as calm as possible, betraying nothing unusual.
If she had directly said she was adding clauses to their divorce agreement, she was certain Julian would scrutinize every single page. That was out of the question. She had to take a roundabout approach.
Julian glanced at the contract, not paying it much mind. "Why get a loan? How much do you need? I’ll transfer it to you."
He knew better than anyone that Sophie didn’t have a stable family. The Winslow family was small and weak, and for years, Sophie had been carrying them all on her shoulders. It wasn’t surprising that Julian would offer to help; she knew he had always been generous in this regard. However, in the past, she had never asked, and he had never offered. Because there was no love, there was no care.
But right now, her excuse needed to be airtight. Kingsford had the highest housing prices in the country. She had been working in a hospital’s emergency department—an ordinary wage earner. Anyone could tell she wouldn’t have much in savings, so presenting a contract under the guise of applying for a loan was the most appropriate move.
"This is to avoid any future disputes about marital property, so people won’t say I spent your money to buy property for my maiden family. I don’t want to add any unnecessary complications over something like this."
Julian’s dark eyes slowly lifted to her face. She was unwilling to spend his money, preferring to shoulder the pressure of a loan. A mere two seconds later, he said calmly, "Suit yourself."
Sophie had slightly pulled out the final page, exposing the signature line. He glanced at it but didn’t sign right away, picking up the document to flip through it instead.
This action made Sophie’s heart skip a beat. Julian was a competent businessman and boss; he was never careless when signing documents. Even a document given to him by his own wife had to be reviewed over and over again.
Sophie instantly clenched her hands, her nails digging deep into her palms. The pain kept her rational, forcing her to suppress the urge to rush over and snatch the agreement away. The first few pages were nothing but a smokescreen. She could only bet on Julian lacking the patience to read through every single page.
However, she had underestimated his patience. He truly didn’t find it troublesome at all. Not only did he read it page by page, but he also didn’t miss a single clause.
The office was so quiet that only their breathing and the occasional RUSTLE of turning pages could be heard. Sophie unseasonably thought of a dark joke. In all their years of marriage, the time Julian had spent quietly with her was incredibly rare. Yet, at the exact moment she needed his patience the least, he decided to "keep her company."
She watched as Julian flipped through page after page. He was just about to reach the *Voluntary Relinquishment of Custody Agreement*, and the hands resting in her lap were practically trembling.
SWISH—
Julian’s distinct, knuckled fingers had just lifted the page halfway when Clara Quinn, who had previously left, pushed the door open and rushed back in, looking quite anxious. "Mr. Sterling, Miss Sutton accidentally sprained her ankle downstairs. Please go take a look."
Julian’s thick brows furrowed slightly. He put down the document almost instantly and stood up without hesitation, striding toward the door. His pace was so fast that his shoulder bumped into Sophie as he passed by. She swayed, nearly losing her footing, and barely managed to grab the corner of the desk to keep herself from falling awkwardly.
Julian didn’t even notice that he had hit her.
Yet, at that moment, Sophie’s eyes reddened slightly. She looked at his retreating back and suddenly smiled. "Julian, signing this won’t delay you more than a few seconds."
Her voice was incredibly calm, her gaze fixed intently on him.
Perhaps he hadn’t expected her to be so relentless at a time like this. Julian turned his head, his dark, profound eyes meeting Sophie’s stubborn, unyielding gaze. She didn’t care if he was displeased. Taking the initiative, she picked up the document he had tossed on the desk, flipped it to the final signature page, and handed him a fountain pen.
Acting exceptionally considerate and understanding, she said, "I won’t take up your time. I just need two seconds."
She only needed two seconds; she had never been greedy.
Hindered by the monumental crisis of Stella spraining her ankle downstairs, Julian clearly had no time left to care about the last few pages of her document. He frowned at the unyielding Sophie but ultimately picked up the pen and swiftly signed right where she had opened it.
The bold strokes pressed deeply into the paper, revealing a wild, sharp, and flamboyant cursive—a beautiful handwriting that was distinctly his own. But at this moment, as Sophie watched every stroke land on the page, her heartbeat accelerated endlessly.
"Anything else?" Julian capped the pen, as if waiting to see what other tricks she had to delay him. His question carried a distinct undertone of impatience.
Sophie no longer cared if he mistakenly thought she was deliberately vying for his attention. She pulled the agreement back. This time, she looked up at him and revealed a rare, radiant smile. "No."
Meeting this expression of hers, Julian’s dark eyes chilled slightly as he stared at her for several seconds.
Sophie didn’t shy away from his ink-black gaze, saying sincerely, "Thank you."
But before she could even finish her sentence, the man in front of her was no longer listening. He left without looking back, his mind entirely occupied by the injured Stella Sutton.
Sophie’s expression remained unchanged. She simply watched quietly as the door opened and closed. Her voice was so soft that only she could hear it: "And congratulations—"
Thank you to him for still choosing Stella at the crucial moment, failing to realize that what he truly signed was an agreement to relinquish custody. Julian’s unhesitating bias and preference for Stella had turned from a poison to her into the very antidote that saved her. And congratulations to Julian Sterling. Because of his unwavering favoritism for another woman, he had single-handedly abandoned his own child.
The same behavior from Julian that used to sting her had now given her a lifeline, and the guillotine hanging over her neck no longer seemed so eager to claim her life. Once they divorced, this relinquishment of custody agreement would take effect. How could Julian not deserve a word of thanks?
As soon as Julian left, Sophie didn’t delay for a second, taking the elevator downstairs. As she drove out of the garage, she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of Julian carrying the injured Stella into the Sterling Corp building. Many employees witnessed this spectacular scene with their own eyes, cementing their belief in Stella’s "rightful" status as Mrs. Sterling.
Sophie retracted her gaze, no longer bothered by it.
She made a trip back to the marital home she shared with Julian. It wasn’t for anything else but the agreement. Julian kept a personal seal at their home. Worried that a mere signature wasn’t foolproof, she decided to add an extra layer of security by stamping it with his seal.
Having handled this swiftly, Sophie’s anxiety of walking on a knife’s edge eased considerably. According to relevant laws, a voluntary relinquishment of child custody agreement is prioritized during a divorce and only takes effect once the divorce is finalized. Right now, she still needed to conceal Lydia’s existence and identity. Fortunately, the divorce agreement was foolproof; they just needed to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau when the cooling-off period ended.
Julian would surely be impatient to end this marriage and finalize his relationship with Stella before Charles Sterling got out. She was anxious, but Julian would definitely be even more eager than her.
***
Having sorted out the child custody relinquishment agreement, Sophie’s mood improved visibly. She was scheduled to join Helios on Monday, leaving her with two days of leisure time.
She spent an entire day shopping for home furnishings with Ivy Hawthorne, buying plenty of decorative items, both big and small. She also scoured Kingsford for well-located detached villas. Although buying a house was just an excuse, she planned to actually purchase one for her grandfather in the nursing home to avoid suspicion. In the future, Lydia could move in and keep him company.
Ivy had plenty of connections and helped filter out a house with excellent configurations across the board. Telling Julian that she needed a loan was also a lie. After all, she was one of the people who had helped take Helios public; it wasn’t as if she couldn’t scrounge up a bit of cash. Once the house was finalized, Sophie promptly paid a two-million deposit.
By evening, she received an e-ticket. It was sent to her by Madam Sterling’s people.
"Sophie, dear, Grandma has picked out some nice young men for you. Do you have time tonight? Go and meet them at this club. Here is the electronic VIP pass."