Chapter 131 Who Are You Rushing to Get a Divorce For?

Chapter 131: Chapter 131: Who Are You Rushing to Get a Divorce For?

Whenever this came up, Sophie Winslow felt a headache coming on.

The smile that had just surfaced on her face faded slightly. "It’s done."

A flicker of emotion crossed Adrian Hawthorne’s eyes. He asked, "When do you want to transfer Lydia’s registry?"

When Lydia was initially registered under his name, he had signed an agreement with Sophie to put her mind at ease. As long as she, the birth mother, wished it, he would cooperate with the corresponding procedures.

Sophie looked a bit downcast. She could only say apologetically, "There’s an issue with my documents that I need to sort out. I might have to delay it for a while."

She didn’t explain the specifics. After all, there was no need to tell Adrian so much.

Adrian kept his eyes on the road ahead. "Is it difficult to resolve?"

"...It’s fine. Just a matter of time."

"Is the divorce definitively finalized?" he took the opportunity to ask.

Sophie nodded at this. "Yes, it is." She was indeed genuinely divorced now.

This time, Adrian didn’t press for details, knowing when to drop the subject.

Sophie didn’t let Adrian drop her off right at the door of her marital home. Instead, she had him pull over a little over a kilometer away. This area was vast, and the entire vicinity was private property. Going any further would be inappropriate.

"If you have everything arranged, contact me anytime. I’ll cooperate whenever you need," Adrian said. He didn’t get out of the car, clearly maintaining a proper boundary between a man and a woman so as not to pressure Sophie.

His attitude made Sophie sigh in relief. She couldn’t help but smile, bending down to look at him through the window. "Alright. Drive safe."

Adrian’s gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds. "Will do." As he spoke, he retrieved a gift bag from the backseat and handed it to her. "Your present."

Sophie was surprised. She actually got one too? She hesitated for a moment but accepted it anyway. Since everyone else in the family received a gift, refusing it would seem pretentious. "Thank you."

Adrian said, "Let’s sit down and talk in detail once I get back from Veridia."

Sophie wanted to ask what they needed to discuss in detail, but Adrian had already answered a phone call and could only turn the car around. She watched as Adrian drove away.

Turning around, she was caught off guard by the sight of Julian Sterling standing not too far away in a black tracksuit. He seemed to have been out for a night run, with his sleeves pushed up to his elbows. She had no idea how long he had been standing there. He stood beneath a willow tree that had long since sprouted buds, his gaze darker and deeper than the night sky.

Sophie froze. She instinctively wanted to say something, but quickly realized she had no reason to explain herself.

They were divorced. Even though she didn’t have the certificate in hand yet, she was a free woman. When they signed the divorce agreement, it stipulated she couldn’t remarry within a year, but it never forbade her from interacting with or dating other men.

Besides, Julian never cared who she associated with anyway. When Lucas Langley was pursuing her, Julian barely batted an eye. What was more, there was absolutely nothing going on between her and Adrian.

Sophie sighed inwardly. She had been someone’s wife for so long that her mindset hadn’t fully detached from the marriage. She was still far too virtuous and dutiful; she needed to correct this habit immediately.

"Walk back together?" Julian spoke first. He didn’t ask who had just dropped her off, nor did he ask who would go out of their way to give her a... present. The night was as dark as ink, and he genuinely hadn’t seen the person in the driver’s seat.

Since there was only one road leading back to their marital home, Sophie could only nod. The two of them walked in tandem, one behind the other.

"How is the divorce certificate coming along?" Sophie didn’t turn her head, knowing Julian was following right behind her.

Julian lifted his eyes to look at her back. "Madam Sterling has been keeping a tight watch lately."

That meant they still had to wait. Sophie frowned. This indicated she would have to keep returning to the marital home for a while longer.

"Please pay more attention to it. If I don’t see the divorce certificate with my own eyes, I’ll start doubting if this is even real. If it really comes down to it, I want you to go apply for the divorce with me again."

"In such a rush?" he asked.

"Yes."

"For someone?"

Sophie halted at the question. She almost thought Julian had noticed something amiss, but on second thought, that probably wasn’t it. Perhaps it was... because Adrian had just dropped her off?

She simply played along. "Interpret it however you want. Whatever suits you."

Silence fell between them once more, leaving only the sound of their footsteps.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Julian seemed to have no intention of continuing their previous topic. Whether it was because he didn’t care or just didn’t believe her nonsense, he casually said, "Congratulations."

Sophie turned around to look at him this time.

He met her gaze. "The drug approval for Helios."

Sophie suddenly understood and let out a laugh. "Julian, there’s no need for the passive-aggression. Stella Sutton didn’t get credit, and she’s unhappy about it. Do you expect me to believe you’re genuinely congratulating me?"

He was just feeling bad because his precious darling had been wronged. Rather than a congratulation, it was a reproach. Sophie’s gaze grew sharp.

Julian narrowed his eyes and let out a sudden, faint chuckle. "Think about it. Are you actually bothered, or are you just looking for an excuse to throw a temper tantrum at me?"

His attitude was so impossibly aloof that Sophie couldn’t even find an opening to pick a fight with him. It felt like punching a block of cotton—completely futile. She was clearly just stating facts, yet to him, she was the one throwing a tantrum?

She decided to stop talking altogether. The two walked the rest of the way in silence, looking just like an ordinary married couple taking a stroll. However, the atmosphere was incredibly stiff and cold.

Once they arrived home, Julian unzipped his jacket and said, "The 29th is Finn Lockwood’s grandfather’s birthday banquet. Come with me. The Sterling family has an upcoming collaboration with the Lockwood family."

Sophie understood; he was asking her to look at the bigger picture. The Lockwood family had deep ties with the Sterling family and knew about Julian’s marriage. If she didn’t show up, it would be inappropriate and disrespectful. Madam Sterling would absolutely never allow her to throw a fit and skip it either.

But... Sophie cast a perplexed glance at Julian. Attending together... wouldn’t that mean publicly acknowledging her as Mrs. Sterling? Was Julian actually willing to make it public?

However, Julian didn’t seem to have any intention of explaining, and Sophie naturally didn’t pry. Without turning her head, she replied, "Understood, Mr. Sterling."

That ’Mr. Sterling’ made Julian pause in the middle of taking off his jacket. They sounded exactly like business partners.

This suddenly brought his mind back to over half an hour ago. The way Sophie had smiled at the person in that car. Her dimples had seemed to drip with honey; her smile was so gentle and utterly sincere.

Sophie returned to her room. She opened the gift Adrian had given her to take a look. It was a brooch, inlaid with sapphires. Its design was exquisite and vintage, shaped into a lifelike half-butterfly wing.

Adrian had good taste, Sophie thought. A brooch was suitable for many important formal occasions—it was both practical and a beautiful accessory. There was no special underlying meaning to it, either. She casually set it down on her vanity.

The next day.

Upon arriving at Helios, Peter Preston ran to the lab early to tell her, "I’ve picked out a few destinations for team building: Kurovia, Veridia, and Macoro. Everyone unanimously voted for Veridia. What do you think?"

Sophie had no objections. "That’s great. It’s a shopping paradise. We’ll issue shopping gift cards when the time comes." For a celebration, it was best to give everyone tangible benefits. She didn’t like empty gestures.

"Is the date set?"

"We’ll depart on the 2nd. How does that sound?"

Sophie thought about it. It was right after Finn Lockwood’s grandfather’s birthday banquet. There wouldn’t be a conflict in her schedule; it was perfect.

The 29th soon arrived, which happened to be a Saturday.

The Lockwood family had booked out an entire resort hotel. It was located in a newly developed area in the Kingsford Outskirts, quite a distance away. Remembering that she had to attend with Julian today, Sophie changed into a light blue sleeveless gown. The dress fell just past her calves, revealing her slender ankles.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted the brooch resting on her vanity. The colors matched perfectly. She picked it up and pinned it on.

Just as she was about to call Julian, her phone rang.