Chapter 171 In What Capacity Are You Coming?

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: In What Capacity Are You Coming?

Sophie Winslow paused her steps, looking at the WhatsApp message in confusion. She immediately called Peter Preston back, but for whatever reason, he didn’t pick up. Having no other choice, she sent another WhatsApp message: "What happened? Is it serious?"

While waiting for Peter’s reply, Sophie watched the hotel managers greeting guests, all of whom carried expensive gifts. Some were meant for the Sterling Family’s anniversary celebration, while others were personal birthday gifts for Julian Sterling. Everyone was putting on a flawless show of maintaining appearances, eager to earn some favor with Julian, the Sterling Family’s designated heir.

Sophie had actually considered this dynamic before coming. In the past, she had always organized Julian’s birthday herself, fulfilling her duty as a wife and expressing the tenderness of a woman deeply in love with him. Now, she had successfully detached herself. Much like a stranger, she felt no emotional ripples whatsoever. She wouldn’t put in any effort anymore, let alone keep up appearances.

Peter’s reply broke Sophie’s train of thought. His message read: "I’ll tell you when I get there. I’m already on my way to the Sterling Family’s anniversary celebration."

Sophie didn’t press the matter further. She walked straight inside and headed to the registration desk, where all arriving guests had to sign in.

"Miss Winslow, is it? Which company do you represent? Who are you affiliated with?" the reception manager asked politely.

Sophie understood his questioning. Having been the unacknowledged Mrs. Sterling for seven years, she seemed like a complete outsider in a place like this.

"Helios Biopharma. Sophie Winslow," she replied without hesitation. She represented no one but herself.

The manager noted down her name.

After a brief thought, Sophie asked, "Excuse me, has Mr. Sterling arrived yet?"

She didn’t plan to stay long at an event like this today. She just wanted to make things clear with Julian; he would surely have a way to placate the old madam.

Before the manager could answer, a displeased voice came from behind her: "Sophie, why are you..."

Sophie turned around to see Lucas Langley standing behind her. He had appeared at some unknown point and had clearly overheard her asking about Julian’s whereabouts. Judging by the bizarre, angry expression on his face, Sophie could almost guarantee that he had misunderstood something again.

Lucas stepped past her, set down his gift, and stated his name. Then, he grabbed Sophie by the arm and dragged her toward a less crowded area.

Sophie wanted to curse the man for acting crazy again, but fortunately, Lucas quickly let go of her. He glanced around and lowered his voice. "What are you having wishful thinking about this time? Is it really that fun to pester him relentlessly? Ruining someone else’s relationship is immoral, and falling for a taken man is just blatantly cheapening yourself. Why do you do this to yourself?!"

He was fuming, unable to fathom what kind of magic potion Julian had fed her. After all this time, she was still hung up on him? She clearly had high-quality men around her who liked her. Even Adrian Hawthorne had shown interest in her. When Lucas first found out, he had been deeply shocked, but Evan York had simply said that Adrian was using Sophie as a shield to cut ties with the York Family. At the time, Lucas had actually felt sorry for Sophie, thinking Adrian was completely out of line. But now, he had turned around to find her still stubbornly clinging to her delusions about Julian.

He didn’t even know why he was so angry.

Sophie remained quite calm, watching Lucas’s furious outburst with cold detachment. Just as he was about to lose his temper over her silence, she slowly said, "Do you genuinely think I’m cheapening myself, or are you treating Julian as an imaginary rival and feeling jealous of him from a male perspective?"

Lucas’s expression shifted, and he froze in shock.

Sophie had hit the nail perfectly on the head. How could she not see that Lucas actually had feelings for her? It might not have been deep love, but he was interested in her. When she gave him no response and led him to mistakenly believe that she had feelings for another man, his male ego flared up. Refusing to admit it, he had begun looking for another outlet to save face.

Sophie chuckled, her eyes filled with undisguised mockery. "You don’t want to fall out with Julian, yet you have your sights set on me. So, you chose to suppress me, lecture me, and humiliate me, hoping to make me doubt myself. Mr. Langley, why do you do this to yourself?"

She threw his own words right back at him, doing so in a way that left him infinitely more ashamed.

Lucas was stunned. His eyes fixed on Sophie’s incredibly stunning face—a face devoid of any seductive charm, yet brimming with a cold, piercing calmness. It pierced him so deeply that his heart began to pound violently in his chest, and his cheeks flushed with burning heat. He had never seen a woman who was so...

"Sophie, you..." he stammered out of nowhere. Suddenly, he found himself unable to utter a single harsh word.

Sophie smiled, though it still made people instinctively want to look away. "Mr. Langley, I strongly dislike idiots, and I don’t like you either."

Lucas’s violently pounding heart seemed to instantly stop. While Sophie had never been overly polite in the past, she had never spoken so blatantly and harshly. Now, her rejection felt like an outright humiliation. His handsome face shifted through a myriad of expressions. She was making her stance clear, rejecting him, and stripping him of his dignity. With effortless grace, she left him with nowhere to hide.

He nearly choked on his own breath. Catching sight of something out of the corner of his eye, he tried to salvage his pride. "You’re overthinking it. I just wanted to play around with you; it’s not like I can’t live without you. As for you, don’t be too heartbroken. Mr. Sterling just arrived with his girlfriend. Try not to cry too much."

Sophie paused and turned around to look. A large crowd had already swarmed the area over there, completely surrounding Julian and Stella Sutton. Julian maintained his usual aloof posture, his eyes devoid of any warm, human vitality.

Yet, Sophie’s mind instantly buzzed. Today was a monumental day for the Sterling Family—highly anticipated, formal, and public. This was far from their usual casual affairs. Bringing Stella out today of all days meant Julian intended to completely and publicly reveal her to the world.

Normally, wherever he took Stella, he could explain it away as work. But today was different. Appearing intimately together at such an unprecedentedly grand event was a declaration to everyone that he and Stella were deeply tied to one another. He was introducing Stella and his relationship with her to everyone. Moreover, he was making his stance clear to the Sterling Family—he had made up his mind about his true love, forcing the Sterling Family to accept Stella.

Sophie’s eyes flickered. So this was what true devotion looked like.

Seeing Sophie slightly dazed, Lucas felt a pang in his chest and couldn’t resist mocking her again. "Jealous? Miss Sutton is so cherished and treasured. No one can ever insert themselves into or ruin the relationship between them."

Sophie didn’t react. But coincidentally, those exact words fell perfectly into the ears of Stella and Finn Lockwood as they walked over. The smile on Stella’s already beaming face grew even more radiant as she enthusiastically greeted Lucas. "Mr. Langley, you’re here too."

Sophie could tell that Stella had heard him; her expression was full of the arrogance of someone who was deeply favored.

"Julian got called away," Stella said. "Shall we all chat a bit later?"

Lucas didn’t refuse. He kept Sophie in his peripheral vision, desperately trying to spot some trace of sorrow on her face.

"Sure. I’ll go say hi to the others first." Lucas felt he had said everything he needed to. In his view, Sophie should have finally realized her place.

The moment Lucas walked away, Finn shrugged and said, "You really shouldn’t have come. On such a big day, with Stella already here, in what capacity did you show up?"