Chapter 178 Adrian Hawthorne’s Call

Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Adrian Hawthorne’s Call

The Sterling family could calculate a thousand times over, but they could never have foreseen that Longview’s future owner was Faye all along!

If Sophie could use her promise not to drag out the issue with Stella Sutton in exchange for capital that would allow her to stand against the Sterling family in the future—just in case Lydia’s existence was ever exposed—why wouldn’t she do it?

Sophie naturally understood this logic as well.

She didn’t drink the cup of honey tea on the table. Instead, she looked at Julian, who remained as calm and breezy as ever, as if he weren’t giving away a listed company but something entirely inconsequential.

"Mr. Sterling, you are truly generous," she said.

"It seems you are satisfied with these terms?" Julian asked, the corners of his lips twitching slightly.

Terms—Sophie pondered the meaning of the word. In the end, it was all to clean up the mess Stella had made. She wasn’t the hypocritical type who would stubbornly refuse money. Life as an adult was already hard enough; there was no need to get so fiercely caught up in a battle over Stella and Julian—two people who were irrelevant to her life—only to end up with nothing. People couldn’t live on pride and morning dew alone.

The company Julian was giving her could even be counted as part of the divorce settlement. Why shouldn’t she take it? In the future, it would all belong to Lydia anyway.

"The heavens will surely be moved by Mr. Sterling’s deep affection," Sophie said with a fake smile.

Julian gave her an unreadable look. "Thank you for the compliment."

Sophie frowned. His attitude was always like this—it felt like punching a cotton ball.

Peter knew there was more to discuss. "Strike while the iron is hot," he told Sophie. "As for the patent, we can prepare the evidence and apply to revoke Stella’s rights. But first, finalize the company handover with Mr. Sterling."

He was worried that Julian or the Sterling family might go back on their word and refuse to give it to her. To put it plainly, if it weren’t for today’s series of bizarre twists and the crisis caused by Stella tying herself to the Sterling family, they would never have let Sophie gain the slightest advantage. They were heartless.

As for the patent, although she was initially furious at Stella’s shamelessness, even if the other party adamantly denied it, Sophie had plenty of ways to prove ownership. Ultimately, Stella would still have to cough up the invention patent that didn’t belong to her. Either way, they wouldn’t suffer a loss in silence. There was naturally no reason to refuse the company.

Sophie understood what he meant; Peter was truly looking out for her best interests.

Today had indeed been unexpected. Somehow, it had gone from them being offended and having their rightful belongings stolen, to a proper resolution, and even gaining such a massive transactional exchange for nothing. Wasn’t it just finding Faye to "mediate"? For her, that was far too easy. How was this any different from picking it up off the street?

The only thing that truly troubled her was Julian exposing their marital status. Now that the arrow had left the bow, there was no turning back. She was actually quite annoyed by it. Julian hadn’t asked for her opinion at all before tying her back into a relationship with him. For her peaceful life, this would likely breed some trouble. Even showing her face in public with Lydia in the future could become a hidden danger.

"Shall we head home to discuss the contract, then?" Julian stood up.

Sophie thought about it; this setting was indeed inappropriate. "Sure, whenever it’s convenient for you."

Julian then looked at Peter. "Mr. Preston, sorry you had to see this today. Please put in a good word with your father; we’ll handle this matter privately."

Peter smiled half-heartedly. "Easy enough." Since Sophie had gotten a good deal, they were amenable to anything.

Julian nodded and turned to Sophie. "Let’s go home."

Sophie felt a strange mix of emotions. The series of events today had all been unexpected, but at least the outcome was good. Peter waved his hand, gesturing for her to go ahead and not worry.

In a rare occurrence, Sophie once again sat in Julian’s car. She had no intention of striking up a conversation with him, instead keeping her head down to look at her phone. She was reading data reports on tumor surgeries from recent years. There were still many technological barriers in medicine that hadn’t been breached, and this was the research topic she needed to tackle. Perhaps because her mother had fallen ill when she was just a child, she had developed an almost morbid obsession with medicine.

Julian turned to glance at her but didn’t disturb her.

They returned to their marital home. Ms. Coleman was there as well. At some point, Julian had already arranged for a man in a suit to wait for them at the house, holding several thick contract documents.

Sophie was surprised. He had everything ready already?

"Could you wait for me for a moment?" Julian took off his jacket and said to Sophie, "I need to change my dressing."

Sophie instinctively looked at his back. The injury he sustained at the entertainment city earlier—it still hadn’t healed? It had been quite a while.

Ms. Coleman immediately chimed in, "Ma’am, why don’t you help Mr. Sterling change his dressing? You used to be an emergency room doctor, so you have the experience."

Sophie looked away. "Plenty of people want to take care of him. He can call Stella Sutton; his next wife would be more than happy to do it."

After all, back then, it was Stella who had cared for him tirelessly. Besides, it had nothing to do with her. Once divorced, one should maintain the boundaries of a divorce.

Ms. Coleman was completely choked by her words, awkwardly checking Julian’s expression.

Julian’s gaze was unreadable. His lips moved slightly in a half-smile that carried a biting chill. But he didn’t argue with Sophie. Instead, he turned to Ms. Coleman. "Bring me the medical kit."

Ms. Coleman had no choice but to comply.

Sophie didn’t think Julian was just being good-tempered. He was merely pleased by her words. "His next wife"—that had surely struck a chord in his heart.

Julian didn’t avoid Sophie’s presence. Standing in front of the mirror, he directly unbuttoned his shirt and took it off.

Sophie was caught off guard, suddenly catching sight of Julian’s back, which was still covered by a medical dressing. His shoulders were broad and level. As his arm moved, the solid, well-defined muscles shifted, revealing dark red blood seeping through the white dressing over his shoulder blade.

She frowned. This was the state of an unhealed wound. It had been so long. How could this be? Julian had access to top-tier medical care; this shouldn’t be happening. Perhaps out of habit as a medical professional, she couldn’t help but take a few extra glances. She was surprised by the poor healing and wondered what kind of treatment had been botched so badly.

Julian watched Sophie through the mirror. "Why are you frowning? I’m the one in pain."

Sophie snapped back to reality. Her eyes met his in the mirror before she quickly looked away. "Isn’t that what you wanted?"

Her words sounded quite heartless. She turned and walked over to the suit-clad man standing outside to ask for the contract. "Let me take a look first."

Sophie had absolutely no intention of showing concern for Julian’s wound. She was very clear about her stance right now. Many people wanted to take care of Julian; she didn’t need to be one of them.

Julian looked back. Without applying any medicine, he pulled his shirt back on and walked over. As he buttoned it up, he said coldly, "Longview operates independently and is not controlled by the Sterling Group headquarters. The procedures aren’t overly complicated. Read through the terms. If there are no issues, sign it, and we’ll handle the handover on Monday."

Sophie didn’t even look up. She read through it word by word, afraid there might be a textual trap.

Julian saw right through her. "Putting our personal feelings aside, when have I ever schemed against you?"

Sophie couldn’t refute that, but she still said, "Whether you have or not, it doesn’t mean I have to trust you—my ex-husband—or the Sterling family now."

Her reliance on and trust in him had long since crumbled. There was no lingering affection to speak of.

Julian’s eyes darkened slightly. The corner of his mouth twitched before he leaned back against the sofa. "That’s for the best. Naivety won’t keep you alive."

Approaching the contract terms with a rigorous mindset, Sophie read through them while messaging Peter some of the more convoluted and obscure clauses. Julian patiently waited for her.

Until...

A caller ID popped up on Sophie’s phone screen.

Julian cast a casual glance at it, then picked up his teacup and took a slow sip.

—Adrian Hawthorne.

Sophie froze for three seconds. She guessed the reason for the call almost instantly.

Was it because...

Today’s exposure of her marital relationship with Julian?