Sophie Winslow hadn’t expected Julian Sterling to be home. He rarely returned these days, yet she had bumped into him every single time she came back lately.
Hearing the commotion, Julian looked up. Taking in her travel-worn appearance, he asked, "Is work really that busy?"
Busy enough that she hardly came home anymore, it seemed.
According to the main estate, Sophie hadn’t delivered her usual herbal meals there for days. In the past, she would even go out of her way to send nourishing soups to his office. She hadn’t done that lately, either. He knew why. It was all because of Stella Sutton. This time, however, Sophie seemed to have much more "backbone" than usual.
Sophie didn’t bother answering him. Instead, she looked at Ms. Coleman. "Where’s the photo?"
Ms. Coleman wiped her hands and pointed toward where Julian was sitting. "It’s on Mr. Sterling’s desk."
Only then did Sophie notice the family portrait resting right next to Julian’s computer. Left with no other choice, she walked over and leaned down to grab it. Before her fingers could even brush the frame, a slender, well-defined hand clamped down on her wrist.
Sophie stiffened. She turned to meet Julian’s unfathomable gaze. His expression hadn’t changed at all as he gestured toward the seat beside him with a slight tilt of his chin. "Sit down. Let’s talk."
"Just say what you have to say." Sophie subtly pulled her hand out of his grasp, swallowing the urge to demand why he was still getting handsy when they were in the middle of getting a divorce.
Julian withdrew his hand with calm grace. Without any preamble, he said, "Give up the house for her. Name your price."
Sophie stared at him. "What did you say?"
The last shreds of her forced dignity began to crumble.
Julian picked up the family portrait from the desk, rubbing its edge at a leisurely pace. "I can pay you double the market value of the house. You can go pick out a better one. She likes that specific property and doesn’t want to choose another."
"So I just have to make way?"
Because Stella Sutton liked him, she had to step aside. Was Julian using this as a metaphor to subtly remind her of her place? Sophie’s lips trembled unconsciously, her nervous gaze locked onto the portrait in his hands. She was terrified that if she refused, he would tear the photograph to pieces right then and there.
"I will agree to whatever you demand." Julian didn’t give her a direct answer, but his aloof tone left absolutely no room for negotiation. "After all, if you purchase a place on your own, you’ll need a mortgage. If I fund it, you can pay in cash upfront. We’ve already signed a clear division of assets, so you won’t have to worry about any financial disputes down the line, nor will you have to shoulder the immense pressure of repaying a loan."
How righteous. How incredibly considerate of him.
Just listening to it, Sophie almost believed him. But she knew him far too well. It was nothing but an excuse. Perhaps Ms. Coleman hadn’t suddenly "found" the family portrait today at all. Most likely, Julian had simply used the photo she cared so deeply about as bait to trick her into coming back. He always knew exactly how to hurt her, how to manipulate her.
Sophie let out a slow, heavy breath. "Since you’ve shown so much sincerity for her sake, who am I to refuse? I’d be glad to do my part in helping Mr. Sterling win a smile from his beauty."
How could she dare to be dissatisfied? In this world, food and money were the true foundations of survival. If she couldn’t have love, she certainly wasn’t going to turn down money. She had no desire to become the poster child for hopeless romantics.
Julian narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing her.
Sophie didn’t hesitate. "Thirty million dollars. Paid in a single lump sum."
The villa was originally worth a little over ten million dollars. She had more than tripled its price. She hadn’t really wanted to keep that villa anyway. Much like Julian himself, even if she stubbornly fought to keep the property, living there would constantly remind her of scenes like this, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth day after day. She was better off exchanging it for tangible benefits. After all, she was a mother who had a child to raise. Considering Julian was the father, she would just treat this as a one-time, lump-sum child support payment.
"Fine." Julian agreed cleanly and decisively, without a shred of hesitation or heartache over the money.
After a brief flicker of surprise, Sophie immediately understood why. It wasn’t that Julian was catering to her every whim. He was only being this generous to make Stella Sutton happy. How ironic... she was actually profiting off her husband’s mistress.
The moment the deal was struck, Julian nonchalantly placed the photograph back in its original spot.
"The funds will be transferred to your account before tomorrow evening," he said. It seemed he had only come home today just to discuss this matter. "Go to sleep early. Don’t wait up for me."
Julian turned and went to the study to grab a few things. In just a few short minutes, he had spent a staggering thirty million dollars for the mere opportunity to make Stella Sutton happy.
Wait up for him? He had to be out of his mind. She had already moved out several days ago, yet Julian seemingly hadn’t even noticed. Just how much did he have to ignore her existence to be this oblivious? Sophie almost wanted to laugh out loud.
She couldn’t be bothered to care about Julian. Tucking the photo safely away, she walked out the door.
After she climbed back into her old, beat-up sedan, she was irritated to find that it had broken down again. The engine refused to start. No matter how many times she turned the key, it remained firmly on strike. When a person’s luck ran dry, it seemed even a car could bully them.
Glancing at the time, she saw it was just past eight o’clock. Sophie had no choice but to get out and inspect the vehicle, though it was to no avail.
When Julian came out, he caught sight of the scene. He remembered Sophie had been driving that exact car since they first got married. After getting into his own car, he had the driver pull up next to her. He rolled down the window and looked at her. "Are you still heading back to the hospital? Get in. It’s on my way."
Sophie turned to look at him but made no move to comply.
"Hayes, open the door for my wife," Julian ordered mildly, his gaze sweeping briefly over Sophie’s deeply suspicious expression.
The driver, Hayes, immediately stepped out and pulled open the rear door for her. "Ma’am, please get in."
Sophie certainly hadn’t expected Julian to be acting so "considerate" right now. But realistically, she knew her car was completely dead. They were deep inside a private estate where it was impossible to hail a cab, and walking out to the main road would take ages. There was no point in making herself suffer just to spite him.
Ultimately, Sophie got into the car. She sat in the backseat with Julian, separated by only a short distance. He kept his head down, focused entirely on his iPad without any intention of starting a conversation. Sophie was more than happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.
It took twenty minutes for the car to navigate out of the private estate. Just as they were about to merge into the city traffic, Julian’s phone began to ring. Sophie had been staring out the window the whole time, but the glass of the Maybach was polished to such a gleaming shine that she could clearly read the caller ID reflected on the screen.
"Baby."
That WhatsApp contact name was both glaring and incredibly ironic. Sophie quickly averted her eyes. She even felt a sudden urge to jump out of the moving vehicle. She had absolutely no desire to become a prop in their little romance game, forced to sit there and listen to how deeply in love they were. The confined space of the car suddenly felt suffocatingly torturous.
Julian likely refrained from answering because she was sitting right there. Instead, he simply instructed Hayes, "Pull over."
Once the car came to a smooth halt, Julian cast a sidelong glance at Sophie, who had kept her back to him the entire time. "Something urgent has come up. Can you hail a cab to the hospital yourself?"
His flat tone lacked any real inflection, and it certainly wasn’t a request. He was kicking her out.
He never bothered explaining what he was doing or where he was going; he simply felt he owed her zero accountability. Sophie had long since grown accustomed to Julian’s hot-and-cold behavior, accustomed to the way he would suddenly abandon her time and time again.
Without uttering a single word, she pushed the door open and stepped out. How could she possibly dare to delay him from his date with his girlfriend?
The Maybach sped off into the distance.
Sophie stood alone at the street corner in the dead of winter. Having just stepped out of the heated interior of the car, the stark contrast made the freezing air feel even more piercing, stiffening every bone in her body. Trembling, she looked down and pulled out her phone to hail a cab. Her face remained entirely devoid of emotion.
He had dumped her on the side of the road in the dead of a freezing winter night without a shred of concern for her safety, all because he was in such a frantic rush to see Stella Sutton. Yet, when faced with Julian’s profound heartlessness, Sophie felt nothing at all—no pain, no sorrow, and no anger. She was completely numb.
It was peak rush hour, meaning the wait time for a cab was terribly long. However, before a car could arrive, she received a video call from little Lydia.
Sophie blinked her dry eyes, answered the call, and instantly forced a bright smile onto her face. "Hey, baby."
The little girl’s delicate, pretty face filled the screen. Her bright smile revealed a pair of adorable dimples. "Mommy! Are you off work? Why are you outside all by yourself?"
Before Sophie could even answer, little Lydia stared intently at her mother’s smiling face. The little girl’s joyful expression suddenly froze, looking as though she desperately wanted to crawl through the screen and hug her. "Mommy, are you sad?"