Chapter 179 I Know Your Husband is Julian Sterling

Chapter 179: Chapter 179: I Know Your Husband is Julian Sterling

Sophie could only think of this possibility. With so many people at the Sterling family’s anniversary celebration, the slightest disturbance could easily leak the news. The probability of Adrian Hawthorne knowing was quite high.

At this moment, Sophie was subconsciously tense, her heart suddenly clenching. She didn’t know what Adrian’s attitude would be. His previous help in settling Lydia, as well as his ongoing assistance in transferring Lydia’s household registration, were all based on the premise that he didn’t know her secretly married husband was Julian Sterling.

But what about now?

If Adrian continued to help her, he was bound to offend Julian and the Sterling family.

Adrian was a businessman. In this profit-driven circle, no one lifted a finger without a clear benefit, nor did they ever make a losing deal. Offending Julian over this was no small matter. She was terrified that Adrian would sever ties with her because of it, consequently exposing Lydia to the light of day.

Cold sweat seeped from Sophie’s forehead, and she felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles. Clutching the still-ringing phone, her brain worked in overdrive.

Julian rubbed the warm teacup with his long fingers. In his peripheral vision was Sophie’s anxious state. Even if she hid her bewilderment well, he could unravel it and capture it with absolute clarity. Sophie cared a lot about the reason for Adrian’s call. Or perhaps, she was worried that the exposure of their marital relationship would affect her emotional involvement with Adrian.

"Are you not going to answer it?" he asked out of the blue, his tone light.

Sophie snapped back to reality. Instinctively, she tucked the ringing phone back into her pocket. "I can’t be certain right now that these contracts and transfer documents are completely safe and free of loopholes. I need to take them back and study them carefully. I see your company’s official seal and signature are already in place, only lacking mine. If I determine there are no issues, I’ll sign them directly. It won’t delay the handover on Monday."

She completely ignored Julian’s question.

Nonsense! Of course she couldn’t answer it!

At this very moment, this call was highly likely to discuss many secrets she couldn’t let Julian know about. She wasn’t stupid, so she had no intention of going through things point by point with Julian right here. She had to leave first and settle matters with Adrian.

"Is it an emergency?" Julian set down his teacup and absentmindedly rummaged through the medical kit, asking casually.

"I am under no obligation to inform you." Sophie stood up. "Goodbye then."

With her mind weighed down by her own affairs, Sophie gathered the stack of documents and walked away hurriedly, ignoring Julian’s need to change the dressing on his wound.

Julian tossed the tube of ointment back into the kit and turned his head, watching Sophie pull out her phone to dial back as she walked away. After a two-second pause, he instructed, "Get the car ready. Escort Mrs. Sterling out."

The driver waiting outside immediately complied.

Ms. Coleman patted her leg. "Mr. Sterling, your wife used to be the most anxious about your affairs. Why is she so indifferent today? She’s not even doing her duty as a wife. She knows you haven’t healed yet. It’s been almost a month; why isn’t it getting better? If this continues, how are you two going to have a child?"

She remembered the elder Mrs. Sterling’s task. It was to urge the two of them regarding their marital life. The dowager was determined to have Sophie leave an heir for the Sterling family. But seeing how the two of them now seemed together in appearance but divided in heart...

Ms. Coleman muttered, "Besides, today is your birthday, and your wife hasn’t shown any indication of celebrating. In the past, she would always organize something for you..."

She thought it was as if his birthday had absolutely nothing to do with Sophie. Let alone gifts and longevity noodles, she hadn’t even offered a simple "happy birthday."

Julian looked over, his obscure eyes revealing boundless coldness. Yet, his tone remained perfectly calm. "Ms. Coleman, who pays your salary?"

Ms. Coleman froze. "Mr. Sterling..."

"Then whose bidding are you doing while taking my money?"

Ms. Coleman’s face paled, and her lips trembled.

Julian looked at the medical kit, reached out to close it, and gave up on changing his dressing. His tone was indifferent. "As for matters here, I’ll trouble you to only tell them what they want to hear over there. Whatever my wife does, what her attitude is, and how she treats me—let it rot in your heart."

A chill ran through Ms. Coleman’s entire body. She knew Julian was applying pressure, and it terrified her. At the same time, she vaguely wondered if he was doing this to keep his privacy from the main house, or to protect his wife.

However, Ms. Coleman immediately came to her senses. It probably wasn’t the latter. It was likely that Mr. Sterling simply had no desire to have children with his wife in the first place, which was why he acted this way.

She suddenly felt that Sophie not helping Mr. Sterling apply medicine wasn’t a case of Mr. Sterling being neglected. Rather, Sophie herself was pitiful and pathetic. Mr. Sterling didn’t have the slightest intention of getting intimate with her or having a child.

***

After Sophie hurried out, the driver quickly caught up to drive her away. She had come in Julian’s car, and since she couldn’t leave the estate on her own, she agreed.

Julian’s car was equipped with a privacy partition. Sophie operated the controls to raise the partition before calling Adrian back. He picked up almost immediately.

Sophie suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

After a two-second pause, Adrian asked, "How are you holding up?"

The interrogation Sophie had imagined never came. Surprised, she replied, "Me?"

"Will today’s events cause any trouble for you?" The sound of a cluttered PA announcement echoed in the background on Adrian’s end. "Do you need my help?"

Sophie froze. "Did you already know?"

Adrian didn’t ask a single thing about her marital relationship with Julian. He didn’t even show the most basic surprise or questioning.

He stayed quiet for a moment. "You could say that."

He prided himself on his cautious nature. Back when he and Sophie had reached their "partnership," he hadn’t said anything openly, but privately, he had indeed investigated Sophie’s background. But since Sophie didn’t bring it up, he didn’t ask. The fact that she was determined to give birth to a child and then hide her away proved that she was standing in an utterly insecure and vulnerable environment, beset by dangers on all sides.

Sophie let out a long breath, the tension that had gripped her completely dissipating.

Adrian knew everything, yet for all these years, he had never asked or mentioned a word. He simply did what he was supposed to do, playing the role of Lydia’s "father" perfectly. To think that for a fleeting moment, she had pettily suspected Adrian would throw her and Lydia to the wolves just to avoid making an enemy of Julian. She was simply too anxious about Lydia; she didn’t dare to relax her guard for even a fraction of a second.

Adrian checked the time. In fact, he had arrived at the airport over two hours ago. An urgent issue had cropped up at his overseas company, requiring his personal presence to handle it. It was a sudden emergency. When he received the news, he was also surprised by the situation—his overseas operations had been targeted. He had no choice but to depart immediately. Even the agreed-upon meeting with the York family to discuss canceling the engagement had to be postponed.

Upon arriving at the airport, he had received the news about the Sterling family’s anniversary celebration. He waited for an hour, making the call only when he was relatively certain Sophie would have time to talk.

"My business trip will take at least half a month. I know you truly want a divorce. You might find yourself in a difficult position given the current situation. While I’m out of the country, if you need help, you can contact my secretary. He will handle things on my behalf."

Sophie hadn’t expected Adrian to go this far. She opened her mouth, managing to say, "Thank you."

Looking at his subordinate who had come to urge him to board the plane once again, Adrian said, "Sophie, don’t be afraid."

Sophie’s eyes shifted, and she held her phone in silence.

Adrian reminded her, "Don’t forget, I’m also Lydia’s ’dad.’ Protecting her is my responsibility."

Sophie’s previously erratic heartbeat gradually returned to a normal rhythm. Adrian was making her a promise. He was choosing her and Lydia, and he wouldn’t use Lydia as a bargaining chip to curry favor with the Sterling family.

He knew exactly what she had been thinking.