Chapter 105 Interrupting Their Passionate Night

Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Interrupting Their Passionate Night

On the drive back to the hotel from the restaurant he had booked out, Lucas Langley made several WhatsApp video calls to Sophie Winslow. Without exception, she ignored every single one of them.

In all his life, this was the very first time he had been stood up by a woman. Before this, what woman hadn’t fawned over him? But Sophie was the sole exception. She had left him hanging for an entire hour!

Lucas got out of the car, his handsome face clouded over with gloom, and strode straight upstairs with his long legs. He figured he had probably come across as too accommodating, which had led her to "provoke" him like this. Today, if it came down to it, he would rip off his gentlemanly facade of taking things slow.

Just as he stepped out of the elevator, he ran into Stella Sutton, who was coming out of the opposite one. She was wearing a dark green, deep-V halter slip dress that cinched at the waist. She had maintained her figure impeccably; as she walked, her legs peeked enticingly through the dress’s high slit.

Lucas naturally cast a glance her way. She was undoubtedly beautiful, and the dress was deeply suggestive. He could tell that Stella likely had a date tonight. Looking at her attire, he felt no romantic stirrings. Instead, he unconsciously wondered what it would be like if Sophie wore something like that. The mere thought spread like wildfire in his mind. He raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Spotting him, Stella offered a gentle smile. "Mr. Langley, weren’t you supposed to meet Sophie today? Are you two..." She scrutinized Lucas for a moment, finding no traces of a night of passion. Only then did she imperceptibly narrow her eyes.

"Yes, I’m going to see her now," Lucas said, not elaborating further. After all, getting stood up was hardly something to boast about.

Stella’s eyes flickered slightly. "You’re going to her room right now? Sophie asked you to?" She wondered if Sophie was finally throwing her doors wide open for him.

Walking at a brisk pace, Lucas gave a simple "Mhm."

Stella watched his retreating figure and leisurely followed behind him.

DING-DONG! DING-DONG!

The doorbell rang with increasing urgency, signaling the visitor’s bubbling frustration.

Sophie instinctively tightened her grip on the box containing the Small Leaf Red Sandalwood Heart-shaped Lock, her heart giving an inexplicable lurch. So much had happened today. Between the old lady kicking up a fuss earlier and Julian Sterling forcing her to put on an act for his birthday, she had completely forgotten to call Lucas back amid all the back-and-forth.

Her temples throbbing, Sophie glanced at Julian sitting across from her. He remained entirely unfazed, as if the sky could fall and he wouldn’t even blink. He merely tilted his head slightly.

Sophie stood up, grabbed the box, and walked straight into the suite’s inner room. Whether she disliked Lucas or not, she knew she was the one who had mishandled the situation by missing their scheduled date. She didn’t rush to open the door, opting instead to check the video intercom monitor. She was surprised to see that Lucas wasn’t alone. Stella was standing not too far behind him.

Lucas’s expression was visibly sour, his jaw clenched tight. Sophie felt a headache coming on; what a mess this was. She was truly caught between a rock and a hard place. After all, Julian was currently inside her room. Opening the door would trigger an entirely different kind of disaster.

For one thing, the Sterling Family had ordered her never to expose her identity as Mrs. Sterling or bring scandal upon them. For another, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with Julian anymore.

As she debated what to do, Stella’s voice drifted through the intercom monitor. "Mr. Langley, perhaps Sophie is taking a shower? Let’s wait a bit."

Lucas spared her another glance. "I don’t think you’re staying on this floor, Miss Sutton."

Stella smiled. "The hotel mentioned we can watch the fireworks from the rooftop tonight, so I came up a little early. It’s the best viewing spot, and you have to access it from this floor. Julian and I have a date. Tonight we’re..." She trailed off, but her slightly bashful expression said it all.

Sophie heard every single word loud and clear. Looking at Stella’s incredibly sexy dress on the screen, the implication was obvious. So, Julian had promised to watch the fireworks with Stella too. No wonder he knew the exact time the display was scheduled to begin.

She had just been squeezed into the gap before his date with the woman he truly loved. Julian was merely humoring her in his spare time. Even admiring the beautiful fireworks was just a leftover scrap from his romantic evening with Stella. Sophie found it quite laughable. She wondered how Julian could possibly juggle all this. She almost wanted to applaud his impeccable time-management skills.

Claiming he was celebrating her birthday was just for show, to make things sound nice. If she had actually believed he sincerely wanted to spend the evening with her, he would have inevitably dumped her halfway through to go find Stella. Fortunately, she hadn’t held any expectations from the very beginning. That was why she could remain so completely unruffled now.

"What are you zoning out for?" Footsteps sounded from behind her. Sophie turned her head to see Julian, his eyes lowered. After glancing at her, he shifted his gaze to the monitor.

Lucas showed no intention of leaving. It seemed he wasn’t going anywhere until the door opened. Separated only by a door, the situation would drastically explode the moment she turned the knob.

After a moment of careful consideration, Sophie spoke bluntly. "Hide for a bit. Go wait in the bedroom."

She had zero desire to deal with the fallout of their "marital status" being exposed after they were already divorced. Mrs. Sterling? She wasn’t that anymore. It was best if they had absolutely nothing to do with each other moving forward.

Her tone was far too calm. It was so matter-of-fact that it gave Julian the sudden illusion that he was some illicit lover she was hiding on the side. His deep, dark eyes stared at her for a long while.

Sophie didn’t miss that unprovoked wave of pressure. She knew that a man of Julian’s noble status couldn’t possibly stomach such a "grievance." Pointing at the monitor, she reasoned with him logically. "Your precious darling is out there too. If she sees us together, she’ll be heartbroken for a long time, and you won’t have an easy time coaxing her. Besides, you wouldn’t want Mr. Langley to know she is a sister-in-law usurping the wife’s place, would you?"

Furthermore, Stella and Julian still had a date tonight. If they got into a fight over this, Sophie refused to take the blame for it.

Julian shot a sidelong glance at her as she calmly stated the facts. "You’re certainly being very considerate of me," he said indifferently, showing no intention of backing away.

Sophie gradually grew unsure of what Julian was playing at. Was he not afraid of their relationship being exposed?

But before she could think about it any further, a hotel staff member hurried over to the door outside. "Mr. Langley, your car has been scratched. We need you to come deal with it."

Lucas’s expression didn’t improve. After knocking on the door one last time, he opted to go handle the situation first.

Sophie immediately looked at Julian, who remained as steady and unfazed as ever. She highly doubted it was a mere coincidence.

No wonder. The reason Julian hadn’t bothered to hide wasn’t because he didn’t mind making their relationship public. Rather, he had already arranged everything from the start. She gave a dry smirk. She had been wrong. How could Julian ever bear to let Stella be exposed as a homewrecker? He was always one step ahead, thinking of everything and handling it flawlessly.

With the crisis suddenly resolved, Sophie breathed a sigh of relief. As she turned around, she happened to catch Julian sending a WhatsApp message to someone. Outside the door, Stella immediately smiled and turned to leave.

Sophie no longer cared what they were saying to each other. Hugging the box holding the Small Leaf Red Sandalwood Heart-shaped Lock to her chest, she said, "I’ll handle the old lady. You don’t need to worry. You can leave now."

Without paying any attention to Julian’s expression, she walked straight back into the master bedroom and shut the door behind her. Nothing else tonight mattered anymore. To her, the only thing that mattered was that her grandmother’s dowry had finally returned to her hands.

She had no idea why Stella had been willing to give up the Unity Lock. In all likelihood, Stella had just gotten bored of playing with it, so Julian had tossed it back to her like a piece of trash. Yet, she cupped it in her palms as if holding a priceless treasure.

Right on cue, the time struck nine-thirteen. Multicolored fireworks soared into the sky outside the window, instantly illuminating the night as bright as day.

Sophie watched quietly for a few seconds. Then, using the remote control, she drew the curtains shut, completely blocking out the magnificent and dazzling display. She wasn’t about to eat the leftovers of someone else’s romance. And she certainly had no desire to share the view with a pair of lovebirds like Julian and Stella.