Chapter 161 Didn’t Bring Your Wife to Such an Occasion?

Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Didn’t Bring Your Wife to Such an Occasion?

Sophie Winslow never expected that Adrian Hawthorne would also be invited.

She was momentarily at a loss for words. Glancing down at the message she had sent Winnie Hayes confirming her attendance, she even felt the urge to unsend it and pretend the whole thing had never happened.

But a promise was a promise. Backing out at the last minute would seem impolite. Besides, given Winnie’s status, inviting her personally was already showing her an immense amount of respect.

"Your brother agreed?" Sophie asked.

"Of course," Ivy Hawthorne said. "Refusing at a crucial time like this would make it seem like he’s explicitly severing ties with the York family. In our circle, you have to think twice before making a move. Everyone has to keep up appearances."

Sophie fell silent again.

The reason she hesitated was because of Adrian’s "proposal" incident a while back. She wasn’t sure if the matter had blown over yet, even though nothing was actually going on between her and Adrian, and they certainly hadn’t discussed taking things further. But if rumors reached the York family’s ears, it wouldn’t be a good thing.

It would make things awkward for everyone.

After turning it over in her mind, Sophie told Ivy about what had happened that day, emphasizing that Adrian was only bailing her out of a tight spot.

Ivy was stunned into silence for a long time before finally saying, "My brother? Being that nice?"

How come she didn’t know about this? Bailing her out? By proposing?

"Yeah," Sophie muttered. "It was just a joke. Neither of us has brought it up since. You can’t take it seriously."

Ivy grinned. "Why don’t you just consider him? My brother never wanted to marry the York family’s daughter anyway. He’s been stuck in this awkward limbo for years. Plus, you two already have a bond of love—our little Lydia. If that isn’t destiny, what is?"

Sophie ignored Ivy’s blatant attempt to stir the pot. "Is that what I was asking you about?"

"Look at you," Ivy mumbled. "You can’t just swear off all quality men because you stepped on one landmine. As for going to the York family’s estate, there’s nothing to worry about. Yes, it’s tragic that they lost their child, but using an engagement to hold my brother hostage is just unreasonable. If she never comes back, is my brother supposed to stay unmarried forever? Things like this require mutual understanding. He’s thirty and still single—that’s giving the York family enough respect."

After all, no one owed anyone anything. Some things just needed to be let go.

Come to think of it, Sophie realized Ivy was right. This was their entanglement. She was just an outsider; there was no need to concern herself with it.

Before Sophie could respond, Ivy changed the subject, her tone turning indignant. "I heard Julian Sterling was hospitalized? I went to the hospital yesterday and bumped into Maeve Walsh. She was eagerly delivering hot soup and meals to Julian, acting as if he were already her son-in-law."

Sophie’s eyes flickered slightly, but she didn’t show any emotion. "Oh."

"And my colleague told me today that they saw Julian’s car heading straight for Emerald Crest Estates. Isn’t that where the Sutton family’s villa is? The moment he feels a little better, he heads straight to his father-in-law’s house. With them being so close, anyone who didn’t know better would think they were already discussing marriage."

Just talking about it made Ivy furious. Sophie was the one who had gotten hurt, yet Stella Sutton was the one walking away with a good reputation and a happy ending?

"He has his own legs; I can’t control where he goes." Sophie rubbed her neck, having made her peace with it long ago.

Since Julian hadn’t returned to their marital home, she assumed he just hadn’t recovered yet. After all, she hadn’t contacted him either. They no longer had the kind of relationship that required so-called "care" to maintain.

"I’m just mad. Doesn’t he know about how Isaiah Sutton abandoned you back then? With how much Stella and Maeve bullied you, and the huge grudge you have with the Sutton family, he doesn’t care about your feelings or well-being at all..."

Ivy’s voice trailed off. These were things she had known in her heart, but in her moment of anger, she had blurted them all out. Tearing away the veil of reality always left one feeling utterly exposed.

Knowing Ivy’s temperament, Sophie smiled indifferently. "I don’t care anymore, really."

Only then did Ivy feel relieved.

After ending the call, Sophie received a notification on her phone. The funds from Julian had arrived in her account. Not a penny less, right on time.

She let out a soft scoff.

Now that he had satisfied Stella and solved her problems, the money certainly arrived fast. It was practically written all over his face that he was protecting Stella. Since the money had arrived, she didn’t need to worry about it anymore. And she had even less reason to go see Julian. There were already too many people around him who cared. She couldn’t squeeze her way in, nor did she want to join the crowd.

On the day of the event, Sophie drove to The York Gardens. The York family’s properties in the capital were extraordinarily impressive; just this one garden estate covered a vast expanse of land.

By the time Sophie arrived, many people were already coming and going. Ivy had arrived early and was waiting for her at the entrance. Seeing Sophie, she rushed over. "My brother still has a meeting, so he’ll be a little late. Let’s head in first."

Sophie nodded.

A large number of people had come to show their support today. The York family already held significant sway, and on top of that, Winnie Hayes was leading the event. Countless people wanted to get into Winnie’s good graces, all of them eyeing the immense resources and connections she held. Along the way, Sophie had already spotted several familiar elites from the industry.

"I don’t see Cameron York..."

Sophie turned her head. "Who’s Cameron York?"

Ivy lowered her voice. "Ms. Hayes’s son, Evan York’s biological father. There’s a ton of drama in the York family too. Evan’s biological mother was raised by the York family—kind of like a child bride. She and Cameron were always seen as the model couple in our circle. Who would’ve thought things would get so ugly later? Right after giving birth, she took the York family’s little heiress and left. Their whereabouts are still unknown."

"What happened between them?"

Ivy thought for a moment. "They were young and deeply in love, but their relationship fell apart less than four years into their marriage. Supposedly, it caused a massive uproar. Ms. Hayes was so furious at the time that she directly banished her own son abroad. It’s only been in the last two years that he was allowed to come back. She almost severed ties with him completely."

Sophie was astonished. It seemed Mrs. York was dearly loved by Ms. Winnie Hayes, to the point where she was willing to disown her own flesh and blood. As for what exactly happened, she wasn’t curious anymore. Every family had its own cross to bear, and everyone was too busy dealing with their own messes. No one’s life was truly more glamorous than anyone else’s.

As they were talking, a commotion broke out ahead of them.

Sophie and Ivy both looked over. Ivy’s face instantly dropped.

Julian Sterling had arrived, accompanied by Stella Sutton. Wherever Julian was, he was always the center of attention. Stella held onto his arm, happily basking in the adoration of the crowd.

Sophie glanced at Julian. From his appearance, it was impossible to tell the extent of his injuries. Then again, even on the day he was hurt, he hadn’t so much as batted an eye.

Ivy cursed under her breath, "Why doesn’t he just flatten her and hang her from his belt? He takes her everywhere."

Many people present had caught wind of the news. Knowing that Stella was the first person in the country to secure Faye’s database, she became the hot topic. People flocked to her to fish for information and offer congratulations.

Reveling in everyone’s amazement over her securing the database, Stella curled her lips in deep satisfaction. "Faye and I are both willing to dedicate ourselves to the domestic medical industry. We’re both willing to work together to achieve a major medical breakthrough. I guess you could say it’s a mutual appreciation between like-minded individuals."

Ivy was so angry she almost laughed. "What is she so smug about?"

Sophie turned around. "Let’s go say hello to Ms. Hayes first."

Grumbling, Ivy had no choice but to follow her.

After asking around for Ms. Winnie Hayes’s whereabouts, Sophie walked straight over. But just as she reached the door, she ran into Julian and Stella again, along with Finn Lockwood, who was on his phone behind them.

Julian looked down at Sophie. Sophie kept her eyes fixed straight ahead.

Right at that moment, Winnie opened the door and came face-to-face with the group. Her face had initially lit up with a smile upon seeing Sophie, but it faded the moment she caught sight of Stella from the corner of her eye.

"Mr. Sterling, is it really appropriate for you to attend today’s occasion without bringing your wife?"