Rather than obsessing over whether a man would come home or not, Sophie Winslow felt it was better to figure out how to improve her own standing and provide a better life for little Lydia.
Today, Peter Preston was attending a seminar on smart healthcare. Sophie planned to drop by and see what the fuss was about. After seeing Ivy Hawthorne off, she sent Peter a WhatsApp message, telling him she would be waiting nearby.
A commotion erupted at the entrance of the building ahead. Sophie looked up from her phone screen in confusion. A moment later, she saw Stella Sutton walking out of the lobby, completely mobbed by reporters. It was a scene of boundless glory, with her at the absolute center of attention.
With impeccable manners, Stella offered a polite smile. "Please be careful not to get hurt in the crush. I’m happy to accept interviews."
As people walked past Sophie from time to time, she clearly heard their voices filled with adoration and envy.
"This Miss Sutton is incredible. At only twenty-seven, she’s already involved in the research and development of new drugs for chronic diseases. An outstanding student combining traditional and modern medicine—her future is limitless."
"I heard her TV interview invitations are booked solid until after the new year. Because she’s so pretty, her live streams have made quite a splash. She’s got a lot of fans."
"Rumor has it," another person suddenly lowered their voice to gossip, "that Miss Sutton is actually Mrs. Sterling! I just don’t know which gentleman of the Sterling family she married. It’s a charmed life, simply picture-perfect."
As soon as the words fell, waves of awe rippled through the crowd. Sophie found it rather amusing. She never expected someone like Stella, a third party who had intruded into someone else’s marriage, to be so highly praised and supported.
The crowd around her swelled. Standing on the periphery, Sophie was jostled by the bustling throng. Instinctively, she wanted to step back. Someone suddenly shoved her, and she stumbled backward.
A hand suddenly caught her wrist in a firm grip. She looked up and met Julian Sterling’s deep, alluring eyes. The aggressive warmth of his palm immediately seeped into her skin.
In the two seconds Sophie stood dazed, a voice called out from not far away.
"Julian?"
Sophie looked over at Stella. Stella was smiling in their direction. After shooting Sophie a brief glance, she turned a confident smile to Julian. "I’m over here."
The next second, Julian released Sophie’s wrist without a change in expression. He acted like a complete stranger, showing not a single trace of marital affection. Calmly retracting his gaze, he strode toward Stella in the crowd without looking back, leaving Sophie standing alone.
She knew exactly what Stella’s gesture meant. The woman was blatantly asserting her dominance.
Finn Lockwood, who had come over alongside Julian, paused. He tilted his head to look at Sophie and clicked his tongue. "You certainly know how to pick your moments and your targets when you stumble into someone’s arms. Putting on a show right in front of Stella."
What a pity. The man had no interest.
He actually felt a bit sorry for Sophie now. Even though she was the lawful wife, she still had to resort to such cheap tricks to fight Stella for Julian’s attention. How was she any different from those unpresentable gold diggers outside, exhausting every trick in the book to climb the social ladder? He wouldn’t say this out loud, but his eyes were filled with blatant mockery.
Sophie could tell Finn thought she had done it on purpose. She looked down and brushed off the spot where Julian had just touched her. "Julian’s first marriage was to me, and his first time was with me. If Stella can’t even handle a little physical contact between him and me now, then she might as well have him castrated. That’s the only way she’ll ever find true peace of mind."
The mocking grin on Finn’s face instantly vanished. He stared at Sophie’s beautiful face in pure astonishment, unable to believe such words had come out of her mouth. Was he hearing things?
Sophie couldn’t be bothered to entertain him. She turned and walked further outward.
However, due to Julian’s arrival, the crowd in the area only continued to swell. Many people gasped in recognition.
"Sterling Corp’s CEO, Mr. Sterling? Could Miss Sutton be the rumored Mrs. Sterling who never shows her face in public?"
"A brilliant woman and a proud son of heaven—a match made in heaven indeed!"
"To think a prominent figure like Mr. Sterling would personally come to pick up his wife. Their love is enviable."
The voices were loud, drilling continuously into her ears. Even though Sophie didn’t want to listen, she had no choice. Inevitably, her mind wandered back in time.
In their seven-year marriage, had Julian ever picked her up from work? Had he ever attended a public event with her? Had he ever publicly acknowledged her status?
Indeed... he had done none of those things. Yet now, she was watching with her own eyes as Julian made all these exceptions for another woman.
From the corner of her eye, Stella glanced at Sophie, who could only stand off to the side and watch the scene unfold. She didn’t deny the questions about being "Mrs. Sterling." Instead, she simply offered a faint smile at Julian as he approached her.
Meeting Stella’s gentle smile, Julian curled the corners of his lips in response.
A young woman nearby immediately covered her face in excitement. "Oh my god! The ship is real!"
Stella heard the exclamation, and her smile deepened. Taking the initiative, she gracefully hooked her arm through Julian’s. "I’m sorry, but we have to go to dinner now. The interview ends here."
Julian had clearly heard the remarks calling Stella "Mrs. Sterling" as well. He made no move to confirm the assumption, but he also showed zero intention of clarifying it. Seeing the dense crowd, he simply raised his arm to shield Stella within his embrace.
Giving a slight nod, Julian spoke. His voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried an overwhelming aura of authority. "Please be mindful of your surroundings, everyone. Don’t bump into anyone."
Watching this picture of a match made in heaven, Sophie profoundly felt Stella’s confidence. Even with the lawful wife watching right in front of her, Stella didn’t show a hint of guilt or fear. That was the absolute confidence born of being overwhelmingly favored. She wasn’t the least bit worried that Sophie would rush forward and tear away that facade, because Julian would never allow Stella to suffer the slightest grievance.
Instead, didn’t it make Sophie look like the oblivious third party standing between them?
Even if they were about to get a divorce, her seven years of pouring her heart and soul into the marriage couldn’t be erased. It felt like needles were piercing her heart.
She turned away, no longer wanting to watch the world praise the epic romance between her husband and his mistress.
She had barely taken two steps when someone nearby screamed. "Quick, call an ambulance! A child has gone into shock!"
Sophie instantly snapped to attention and looked over. A young mother was cradling a little girl around five or six years old. The girl’s face was deathly pale, and she had already lost consciousness. Disregarding her own overflowing emotions, Sophie sprinted over and crouched down to check the child’s condition.
Just as her fingers brushed the child’s eyelid, someone shoved her hard. She collapsed onto the ground. Her frail bones slammed against the hard flagstone pavement, sending a piercing agony through her body.
Looking up, she met Stella’s displeased, reprimanding gaze. "Let me take a look. Please, bystanders, don’t delay the golden window for first aid!"
Prompted by Stella’s stern shout—delivered with the gravity of a life-or-death situation—the surrounding crowd immediately chimed in with dissatisfaction.
"Yeah, the child is already in this state! Stop causing trouble!"
"Miss, you probably don’t know this, but Miss Sutton is a top medical student! She’s also Mr. Sterling’s girlfriend—oh wait, she must be his wife, right? Ordinary people can’t compare to her. Stop getting in her way."
The comments made Sophie want to laugh. Was she supposed to follow the mainstream and swoon over how perfectly matched they were, too? Supporting her waist with one hand, she endured the sharp pain and cast a cold look at Stella, who had already crouched in front of the child to begin emergency procedures.
The child’s mother was frantic, crying so hard her vision blurred. She could barely hold her child steady.
Julian stood just outside the circle of people. Raising his eyelashes slightly, his gaze swept over Sophie, but he made no move to step forward. Sophie knew he had seen her get pushed to the ground. But Julian didn’t care about her at all, so lending a helping hand was out of the question. He was nothing more than a spectator.
Not that she expected any pity from her soon-to-be ex-husband anyway. Bracing her hands against the ground, she pushed herself up.