Chapter 141 Do You Like Being a Stepmother That Much?

Chapter 141: Chapter 141: Do You Like Being a Stepmother That Much?

Sophie Winslow kept her hand in her pocket, fingering the complimentary ring the restaurant had given her. When she looked up, she saw Julian Sterling leaning against the elevator wall with one hand shoved in his pocket. He was tall and slender, his lowered gaze utterly placid.

Sophie paused in her tracks. But on second thought, why should she make herself uncomfortable? They were already divorced. She stepped inside, and the elevator doors slid shut. The rooftop restaurant was over sixty floors up, so the descent would take some time.

"Did you meet him through Ivy Hawthorne?" Julian was the first to speak.

Sophie met his gaze through the mirrored walls of the elevator.

"Yeah," she replied frankly.

She had no intention of elaborating, much less discussing with her ex-husband whether she was truly going to marry someone else.

Julian’s gaze remained steady, his meaning unreadable as he scoffed softly, "You enjoy being a stepmother?"

His question was asked in such an unremarkable tone. It wasn’t even an accusation. Yet, it still rubbed Sophie the wrong way. She knew that Julian now genuinely believed Lydia was Adrian Hawthorne’s biological daughter. That, at least, was a good thing.

So, regarding the topic of being a stepmother, she merely smiled. "Is that a bad thing? She’s such an adorable little girl. Since I like children, I’m naturally willing to accept her. It’ll make for a complete family, too."

It would be nothing like what the two of them had shared—seven years during which Julian had never been willing to have a child with her. They had just worn each other down in a lifeless, miserable marriage.

Julian could easily hear the undisguised sarcasm in her voice. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Did Adrian ever tell you he has an engagement with the York family?"

Sophie had actually heard Ivy mention it. Adrian’s willingness to list Lydia under his name back then had also been a ploy to eventually reject the marriage alliance with the Yorks. Because of that, she didn’t think much of it. Besides, she wasn’t actually planning to marry Adrian, so what did it have to do with her?

"Oh, thanks for the reminder. He told me," she said nonchalantly.

To anyone else, she would have looked like a lovesick fool who couldn’t tell good advice from bad.

Julian narrowed his eyes.

"I see.

"Then you should know that associating with him means inevitably offending the York family."

Sophie glanced back at him in surprise. Was Julian actually warning her? Analyzing the pros and cons for her? Was he really being that kind?

She offered a polite, superficial smile. "Thank you, Mr. Sterling, for being such a considerate ex-husband and looking out for me. But right now, you shouldn’t be worrying about whether I offend the Yorks. You should be worrying about how you’re going to marry Stella Sutton into the Sterling family."

After all, he still had a private conversation to get through with Stella tonight. Regarding Stella’s sudden desire to propose, Sophie wondered if things had progressed further between the two after Julian left the Lockwood family’s home under the influence of drugs the other day, prompting Stella to want to take their relationship to the next level. Whatever the case, she couldn’t be bothered to care. Nor could she be bothered to ask how things had been resolved with Charles Sterling.

As for right now, was her ex-husband expressing concern? Did he actually care? She didn’t think so. Julian didn’t genuinely give a damn who she associated with. He just didn’t want the situation to turn ugly, given that he and Evan York were still friends. This web of relationships was destined to be complicated.

Julian understood her underlying meaning. She wasn’t going to carefully reconsider whether to continue her relationship with Adrian, and she didn’t mind becoming a ready-made stepmother at all.

Did Adrian actually like Sophie? He didn’t think so. Given that Adrian had an illegitimate daughter with someone else and Sophie lacked a strong background, she seemed more like a carefully vetted, suitable mark to take on his baggage. Otherwise, with the Hawthorne family’s status, they would never allow a daughter-in-law with an unremarkable background. It looked more like she was being used.

His dark eyes deepened. "What you do is your freedom. But I’ll remind you to remember the terms of our divorce agreement. Let’s hope Mr. Hawthorne is willing to wait a year for you."

Sophie’s eyes flickered. One of the clauses stipulated that she couldn’t remarry within a year, as they had to keep the divorce a secret. Although Old Mrs. Sterling already knew about the split, the agreement was still legally binding. Furthermore, Julian still held the deed to the Winslow family’s antique shop and wouldn’t transfer it to her for another year.

Before she could answer, the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

The figure who had been waiting outside turned around. Adrian spotted Julian standing in the elevator with Sophie.

His expression remained unchanged. "Mr. Sterling, I didn’t get a chance to say hello earlier."

Sophie walked straight over to Adrian. Julian followed closely behind, casting a sidelong glance at her before replying, "Is Mr. Hawthorne here on a business trip?"

The two men chatted casually, as if there were no complicated ties or connections centered around Sophie between them. One gave no indication that he had been her husband, while the other acted as if he had no idea of Julian and Sophie’s past.

"You could say that, though I also managed to take care of a major event along the way," Adrian said.

What this "major event" was, all three of them knew perfectly well.

Adrian paid no mind to how Julian might react. Meeting his gaze, he said with a hint of feigned regret, "I assume Mr. Sterling doesn’t mind, right?"

Sophie’s heart skipped a beat. She shot a surprised look at Adrian’s handsome, unruffled face.

Julian lifted his gaze, his dark eyes unfathomable. "Mind what?"