Chapter 177 The Greatest Compensation for Sophie Winslow

Chapter 177: Chapter 177: The Greatest Compensation for Sophie Winslow

Julian Sterling’s phrase "how much Sophie minds" caused Sophie Winslow’s face to tense up uncontrollably.

She had stopped caring a long time ago!

Julian didn’t need to butter her up at a time like this. As if she cared so much about him or this marriage. As if she were some completely pitiful, tragic victim.

Sophie found it absurd to hear such words from his mouth, yet he said them so blatantly. She had originally thought Julian didn’t even realize he was doing things that hurt her. But now, he was forcing this victim persona onto her.

Sophie’s expression froze. She wanted to deny it.

But Julian was already looking down at her, his deep-set eyes focused. "Therefore, I know I’m in the wrong."

She immediately shut her mouth, frowning at him.

Carter Sterling and Madam Sterling looked at Julian. "What do you mean?"

Julian took Sophie’s hand, leading her to the sofa to sit down and ease her dizziness. His tone was exceedingly flat. "Sophie has a fierce temper. If it gets out that Stella Sutton used to be married to my brother, it will be even harder to clean up. Furthermore, whatever relationship she has with Faye is her own business. The Sterling family shouldn’t have to forcefully demand she use her personal connections."

Madam Sterling’s expression darkened at the mention of a scandal involving Julian’s brother. Of course, such a thing could not be exposed!

Carter looked at his calculating son. "Do you have a plan?"

Julian simply sat down beside Sophie, shifting his gaze to her. "We are already getting a divorce. What reason does the Sterling family have to keep exploiting her? If we want to settle this matter, we should exchange something of equal value."

Madam Sterling was somewhat displeased. In her eyes, Sophie was just a junior with no maternal family to back her up and no reliable background or patron. No matter what they made her do, she didn’t have the capability to get angry or resist. Why should the Sterling family waste their resources?

Sophie was surprised. Had Julian’s conscience suddenly awakened?

However, what kind of benefit could the Sterling family possibly offer? It would be nothing but a perfunctory brush-off. There was no reason for her to suffer in silence.

"Exchanging Longview for you to put in a good word with Faye. Are you satisfied with that, Sophie?" Julian asked without hesitation, his eyes fixed steadily on her.

Sophie was astonished, almost thinking she had heard wrong. Beside her, Peter Preston’s expression also shifted, unable to suppress his shock.

That was Longview—a solid company. Founded nearly eight years ago, it had already risen to the top of its industry.

Before Sophie could react, Madam Sterling and Carter’s expressions changed drastically.

Carter even stood up, angrily asking, "Longview? Have you lost your mind?"

What was Longview’s market value? What was its annual net profit? It had thousands of employees. Even though it was just a subsidiary of Sterling Corp, it had fought its way to the top of the industry. It could already be considered a large-scale enterprise—mature, long-lasting, and stable. And he was just going to casually give it to Sophie, who would sooner or later be kicked out of the house?

There had never been such a precedent in their social circle! The wives of wealthy and prestigious families were either trapped in these households for life, or, if they wanted to get out, they were invariably skinned alive and bled dry. They had absolutely no chance of reaping even the slightest bit of profit or benefit from the family!

"Julian! Longview is flourishing. Sophie knows nothing about business—can she even handle it?" Madam Sterling was also furious. As far as she was concerned, Sophie was no different from an orphan. To give her such a massive benefit after a divorce—was the Sterling family running a charity?!

Sophie was also stunned, but she didn’t speak; she only looked in confusion at Julian, who remained completely calm.

He picked up the pitcher of honey tea from the table and poured a cup. "Then how do you think today’s matter should be settled?"

He pushed the cup toward Sophie, leaned against the backrest, and said methodically, "Given today’s situation, the explanation sounded pretty, but who among those present is a fool? Who would truly believe that Stella and I only have a superior-subordinate relationship? Do I need to remind you, Grandmother, that you also admitted Stella was groomed by the Sterling family, and that she might marry into the family? You valued her excellence and the benefits she could bring to us, so you ambiguously acknowledged her. Consequently, her getting into trouble now acts as a double-edged sword."

Madam Sterling’s mouth twitched, feeling somewhat indignant. She had indeed said some things in public that acknowledged Stella... Why had she actually spoken up back then?

Julian continued at an unhurried pace, analyzing the pros and cons like an outsider. "The patent issue alone would be easy for the Sterling family to resolve. But this involves people in politics. Once Dean Philip Preston and the others start investigating, the Sterling Group’s image will also suffer a heavy blow. As for Longview—Stella is part of Longview, and Longview has now become the primary target. Its reputation has already plummeted because of this. Any potential partner will be cautious; they will all worry that Longview might plagiarize and steal their core technologies."

Peter couldn’t help but glance at Julian. He suddenly felt that this calculating man was excessively cold-blooded, acting as if the Sterling family had nothing to do with him at all.

Carter kept a cold face. "Isn’t that simple? Just fire Stella and be done with it."

Julian raised his eyes, letting out a slow, soft chuckle. "Would that solve the problem? If I fire her, to outsiders, it will just look like I’m protecting her and helping her lay low. Don’t be foolish."

Carter’s expression was ugly. He couldn’t get a read on this son of his.

"The Sterling family doesn’t rely on Longview to survive. If we give it away, so be it. Making Sophie feel comfortable will ensure she handles the matter more sincerely and resolves the biggest problem for the family. It’s a pretty good deal," Julian said.

Madam Sterling’s expression shifted constantly. She felt a nameless fire burning inside her, but she had no opportunity to vent it. Every avenue of retort had been firmly blocked.

Julian had already made his point very clear.

Manipulating someone like Sophie, who had no weaknesses, could easily backfire and cause her to lash out if pushed too hard. Sophie only had an elderly, senile grandfather and a mother who had been lying comatose in a hospital bed for years. She had no lingering worries. If they really drove her into a frenzy, she wouldn’t lose anything no matter what she did—after all, she had never possessed much to begin with.

But the Sterling family was different. They had many more concerns. And right now, Longview’s reputation had been ruined by this incident with Stella. Whether it would be targeted in the future by Philip Preston, Hector Caldwell, and Faye was also unknown.

To put it bluntly, the hidden dangers were significant. Giving it to Sophie wouldn’t make any waves anyway; it was already a discarded pawn. Its chances of climbing back up were practically nonexistent.

Even so, Madam Sterling still felt displeased. No matter what had happened to Longview, even a dying behemoth was still a massive asset. Sophie was truly lucky to stumble into such a huge windfall.

"It seems you’ve already made up your mind, so what more can I say?" Madam Sterling stood up, her tone rather poor.

Carter’s expression was even worse. Back when Longview had broken through the market with unstoppable momentum, he had entertained the thought of asking Julian for its management rights, only to be effortlessly deflected by him. Given the current situation, he was naturally unhappy.

Before leaving, Madam Sterling cast a cold glance at Sophie. "Sophie, the Sterling family has treated you well enough, giving you the foundation to settle down and get on with your life. You’d best not let down the family’s expectations. I want you to handle this matter flawlessly. Otherwise, the company is off the table."

Having said that, Carter and Madam Sterling left one after the other.

Peter had observed the entire exchange from the sidelines. He felt the atmosphere in the Sterling family was too suffocating. He couldn’t see any familial bonds; they were all far too apathetic.

As for Longview... Peter was both shocked and delighted. If it were truly given to Sophie—and Sophie was actually Faye herself—then once she revealed her identity, Longview’s reputation would recover without breaking a sweat. It might even reach new heights of glory. It was essentially a gold mine with the answers already written out! It would become Sophie’s true pillar of support! Wouldn’t this serve as the very capital she needed to stand against the Sterling family?