Chapter 134 Driving Stella Sutton Away in Public

Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Driving Stella Sutton Away in Public

"Careful."

Sophie Winslow had been bored out of her mind anyway. Not knowing anyone, she could only wander around on her own, and she nearly bumped into an elderly man.

Before she could react, the old man suddenly grabbed her hand in excitement. "It really is you, young lady!"

Sophie looked at the elderly man in confusion. She didn’t know him at all.

Seeing the doubt in her eyes, Master Lockwood realized she had absolutely no memory of him. He quickly explained, "At the holiday resort, during the charity clinic event, you saved an old man. That was me. Do you remember?"

With that reminder, it finally clicked for Sophie. He had even thrown up on her at the time. Surprised, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

Master Lockwood’s recently accumulated anger instantly vanished into thin air. "I’m the birthday boy today. What’s your name, young lady? Did Finn Lockwood invite you? Or are you here representing a specific family?"

He figured that if Finn hadn’t invited her, she must be a representative for one of the families here, which meant he would definitely know her relatives.

"I—"

"Sir, the officials have arrived. You need to head over," a steward interrupted, hurrying over and lowering his voice.

Sophie vaguely heard something about a high-ranking official from some department.

The old man’s expression turned much more serious. He said to Sophie earnestly, "Girl, I’ll have someone arrange a seat for you in the VIP section. I’ll come find you later, alright?"

Sophie nodded, and only then did Master Lockwood hurry off.

Watching the old man’s retreating back, Sophie couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer coincidence. To think he was Finn’s biological grandfather! But at the thought of Finn...

Sophie furrowed her brows. He was just a rich, second-generation playboy completely obsessed with Stella Sutton. She turned and headed toward the front hall.

Shortly after Sophie left, Stella slowly walked out from the nearby restroom. She was pale as a ghost, her hand trembling as she clutched a tissue.

So that was why the old man had been so cold to her... It turned out that Sophie was the one who had actually saved him, and yet she had...

Stella bit her lip. Her eyes were filled with panic, embarrassment, and simmering anger. After all, she had just left a terrible impression on Master Lockwood. She even suspected that Sophie had shown up at this exact moment on purpose just to put her in a spot she couldn’t back down from.

Sophie strolled around the venue. Tonight’s guests were seated in different areas based on their status. She understood that in this social circle, equality was a myth; wealth and power were the only acceptable currency, and no one would dare object to that.

The VIP section was located in the prime viewing area. Actually, Sophie had been wondering earlier—since Julian Sterling had brought Stella as his plus-one, where was she supposed to sit? After all, there was no place for her by his side.

Since Master Lockwood wanted to arrange a seat for her in the VIP section, she naturally headed over first.

The moment she arrived, she was met with Stella’s cold gaze. The other woman sized her up, her expression shifting slightly when her eyes landed on the brooch pinned to Sophie’s chest. "You should take that brooch off. It’s inappropriate."

Sophie hadn’t expected to be slapped with a sudden command the second she walked over. She was just about to snap back when she heard someone say, "What a coincidence! That’s exactly the same as Mr. Sterling’s brooch."

Sophie instantly looked toward the man sitting elegantly in his seat, sipping tea. On the lapel of his ink-black suit rested the other half of a butterfly wing, its sapphire glinting brilliantly.

At another table nearby, a woman looked at Sophie with a peculiar expression. "That’s a limited-edition couples’ piece from a top luxury brand. Only eighteen pairs were released worldwide. It’s hard enough to buy one, but... the chances of accidentally matching with someone else’s boyfriend are truly slim."

She stopped just short of outright accusing Sophie of doing it on purpose.

Everyone here today knew Julian’s identity and that the woman by his side was Stella. For another woman to suddenly appear wearing the matching limited-edition couples’ item and seemingly sitting in the same section... How could there be so many coincidences?

"Exactly. The sapphire on Mr. Sterling’s brooch was meant to match Miss Sutton’s blue dress, not yours..."

"Well, don’t say that. This lady is also wearing a blue dress. Even if she can’t change her dress, she can at least take the brooch off."

This social circle was inherently hostile toward any woman who lacked a legitimate title. Naturally, they banded together to "help" each other out.

Sophie, however, found it laughable. They thought they were being righteous, but they were actually defending an extramarital affair?

Had it been anyone else on the receiving end of so much judgment, they would have likely been too ashamed to show their face and fled on the spot. But not Sophie.

She simply took a seat. "Since you all say it’s a couples’ item, why isn’t Miss Sutton wearing the matching brooch?"

Stella pursed her lips, staring darkly at Sophie with overflowing displeasure.

"Her dress is already color-coordinated. Besides, Miss Sutton isn’t wearing it because the style of her dress doesn’t suit a brooch. Mr. Sterling specifically wore the sapphire to match Miss Sutton’s blue dress. That’s enough on its own; it’s their own kind of romance," someone retorted.

Sophie understood perfectly well that when people wanted to find fault with her, they would twist their words to shut her down no matter what.

She looked at Julian, who remained completely uninvolved in the women’s conversation. His posture hadn’t changed in the slightest. He didn’t seem to mind being the center of gossip. Meanwhile, as she was being crusaded against, criticized, and ordered to back down and remove her brooch, he showed absolutely no reaction. Did he also think those people were right?

But the truth was, her brooch had absolutely nothing to do with his. This was a gift from Adrian Hawthorne. He had brought it back for her in earnest, and she wasn’t about to let others fabricate stories about it or trample on it.

"If Mr. Sterling is so dissatisfied, you can always throw yours away to save your Miss Sutton’s face." Sophie’s tone was steady, but her words were a hidden blade, one that pierced deeply in hindsight.

Only then did Julian finally spare a glance at Sophie.

However, before he could respond, Stella casually raised her hand and gently brushed against the sapphire brooch on his chest. Smiling, she spoke with utmost magnanimity. "There’s no need. There’s no point in making a mountain out of a molehill over such a trivial matter. I quite like Julian wearing this style. We specifically picked it out because it suits him so well."

Sighs of admiration murmured through the crowd. "Miss Sutton is so open-minded."

"No wonder Mr. Sterling is wearing it. So Miss Sutton specifically helped pick it out."

Sophie thought back for a moment. No wonder Julian had left so early today and had been completely unreachable. As it turned out, he was accompanying Stella to pick out a dress and letting her coordinate his outfit. The two of them had probably gone on a shopping date.

And now, the scene had dissolved into a chaotic mess again. Had she somehow become the scheming bitch in everyone’s eyes, trying to force a connection through underhanded means?

Her gaze shifted to Julian just as he looked over. He caught a glimpse of the brooch on her chest from the corner of his eye and narrowed his gaze.

Sophie pursed her lips. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought, but she absolutely didn’t want Julian to misunderstand and think she had done this on purpose.

Seeing that Sophie had no intention of fleeing in defeat, Stella frowned silently. She had assumed that after being humiliated in public, Sophie would be on pins and needles and leave immediately. That way, it would be much easier for her to find Master Lockwood and explain things. Yet, Sophie remained seated, completely unmoving...

Just as she was thinking this, a heavy THUD echoed from behind as a walking stick struck the floor. Everyone turned their heads. Master Lockwood had arrived.

The old man’s expression was incredibly grim. As he approached, he had overheard their idle gossip. The shameful, hidden mistress that Winnie Hayes had mentioned was actually brazen enough to bully another young lady?

His face was practically frozen in anger as he walked over.

Stella’s scalp went numb. Since she had essentially tried to take credit for saving him, she planned to admit her mistake in a bit and claim she had remembered wrong. Surely Master Lockwood wouldn’t hold it against her, considering she was with Julian.

Stella stood up obediently and greeted him like a perfect lady. "Mr. Lockwood."

Master Lockwood looked at her, his tone perfectly even. "The VIP section isn’t for just anyone. My humble estate cannot accommodate you. Please leave."