Chapter 211 Ex-Grandson-in-Law?

Chapter 211: Chapter 211: Ex-Grandson-in-Law?

Whatever Quentin Winslow was thinking about, it made him furrow his brow tightly. It seemed to be an unpleasant memory.

Julian Sterling immediately stood up and lowered the head of the bed for the old man. "It’s all right. Get a good sleep first."

Quentin was ninety years old and often in a state of confusion. Julian wasn’t going to press him for answers. Seeing her grandfather close his eyes and drift off, Sophie Winslow set down the strawberry in her hand.

"Step outside with me for a second."

Julian grabbed his jacket and followed her into the corridor. At this hour, the hallway was practically deserted, save for a few 24-hour caregivers bustling about occasionally. Sophie walked all the way to the end before turning to face him. Julian stopped, his eyes lowering to meet hers, waiting for her to speak.

"What are you trying to do by coming here today?" Sophie asked point-blank. She didn’t buy for a second that Julian was suffering from a sudden attack of filial piety or a crisis of conscience. After all, he didn’t even care about her; why would he genuinely worry about her grandfather’s well-being?

"Am I not allowed to visit Grandpa?" he retorted.

"We’re already divorced," Sophie said. "In what capacity are you visiting? As his former grandson-in-law?"

Julian shot her a glance, the corners of his lips twitching faintly for some inexplicable reason.

Knowing they were past the point of having civil conversations, Sophie added, "And as for the matter of my parentage, that’s my personal business. I don’t need you interfering."

However, she could understand why he had seized upon that topic. If he wanted to chat with her grandfather, it had to be about her. But if they talked about anything else, it would only bring up their broken marriage, his infidelity, and the pain she had suffered. By comparison, reminiscing about the past seemed much more dignified.

"You don’t want to find your biological parents?" he asked.

"I think I’m doing just fine right now." In Sophie’s mind, she already had the best mother and grandfather in the world. No one owed her anything. She felt that making a huge fuss about finding her biological parents would only hurt her grandfather and the memory of her late mother. Although she had endured many hardships in this life, she had also experienced an abundance of love. She felt a deep debt of gratitude to the Winslow family for raising her, and she could never betray that.

He observed her steadfast attitude before speaking slowly. "Then let’s talk about what we actually need to discuss."

Sophie immediately let out a scoff. Sure enough, he never came without an ulterior motive. Julian knew that as long as he visited her grandfather, she was bound to show up. That was why he had chosen to come here—especially since she had mentioned earlier today that she wasn’t going back to their shared home.

"About Longview issuing the background verification for those two individuals. Can we negotiate?" Julian didn’t beat around the bush. Standing face-to-face with her, his gaze rested quietly on her features.

There was a time when Sophie would feel shy under his direct, intense scrutiny. Now, she met his eyes without flinching and mocked, "What? Are you really asking me to name a price? Fine, I want Sterling Corp. Are you willing to hand it over?"

She was being deliberately difficult, purely to reject him. Julian understood her stance clearly. Or rather, he had known from the very beginning. Sophie was actually very headstrong; most of the time, she responded to a soft touch but rebelled against a heavy hand. But there was no room for softness between them anymore.

"So there’s no room for discussion?"

Sophie took a deep breath. At the sudden recollection of the cruelty Stella Sutton and Maeve Walsh had inflicted upon her and her mother during her childhood, her temples throbbed with a sharp pain. The scars of the past that she had painstakingly hidden away were ripped open all over again.

Enunciating every word, she said, "I cannot turn the other cheek for the scum who ruined my family and threw me away like trash in some remote backwater to fend for myself."

Touching upon that raw nerve made her eyes rim with red. It was a visceral reaction to that dark, unresolved past she still carried. Julian stared at her reddened eyes, her slightly trembling lips, and that stubborn, resolute gaze that bristled with defensive thorns, forbidding him from trespassing. He simply stood there in silence, facing her for a long time.

After what felt like an eternity, Julian slowly raised his hand. With a motion that was light yet swift, he wiped away a trace of moisture from the corner of her eye. Yet, his expression remained devoid of any emotion.

"Get some rest early, then," he said.

Julian turned and left. Sophie almost suspected that him wiping her tear away had been a complete illusion—it felt far too surreal. Emotionless, she walked back into the hospital room to check on her grandfather one last time before leaving. She would absolutely never agree to help Stella. As for Julian, he had surprisingly refrained from using threats or bribes tonight; he had merely wanted to talk. She couldn’t care less about what was going through his head. But as for Stella’s predicament—she was simply reaping what she had sowed.

The next day.

Sophie first visited Longview to ensure everything was stable. Julian hadn’t come to pull the files, either. She instructed Mr. Thorne to report to her immediately if anything came up. Upon arriving at Helios, Sophie headed straight to the R&D department to verify the upstream details of their parts suppliers. She kept busy until noon, when Ivy Hawthorne came looking for her to grab lunch.

As soon as they entered the office, an assistant approached Sophie to hand her an envelope. "This express mail just arrived for you."

Ivy leaned in closer. "What is it? A document? It’s so thin."

Sophie glanced at it, noting that the sender’s information was hidden. She gave it a little shake, thinking it might be her divorce certificate, and hurriedly tore it open. Seeing an invitation card slip out, Sophie’s expression turned frigid. It was from the Sutton family. She opened it to read the details, and her face instantly dropped.

"An antique exhibition?" Ivy read the elegant text aloud. "Isn’t this the address of the Winslow family’s antique shop?"

The Sutton family was going to use the Winslow family’s antique shop to host an exhibition. Furthermore, it was disguised as a charity event. The entry tickets were priced at a premium, requiring a certain threshold to even attend, and all the proceeds from this exhibition would be donated under Stella Sutton’s name to impoverished families suffering from catastrophic illnesses.

Sophie’s heart violently jolted. She darted a look at the bottom of the final page, where the names of the co-organizers were listed.

Stella Sutton and Julian Sterling.

Blood instantly rushed to her head. In a flash, she guessed their true intentions. They were using the Winslow family’s antiques for a charitable donation to repair the negative public opinion Stella was facing from the medical malpractice incident! They wanted to build a positive public persona for Stella to offset the scandal.

But by what right? Why did they get to use her family’s legacy to whitewash Stella’s reputation?

Sending this invitation to her at this exact moment... It was a blatant provocation! They were intentionally flaunting their power! No wonder Julian hadn’t forcefully coerced her into helping him; they already had a Plan B. Combined with this massive charitable donation, it would significantly drown out the voices questioning whether Stella had used a scapegoat, as well as the public outcry calling for a boycott against her.

"This is shameless!" Ivy seethed as realization dawned on her, her head pounding with fury. "And Julian Sterling is leading this as the main organizer! He knows full well that this belongs to the Winslows! It’s the thing you care about most in the world! Yet he’s using it as a rag to wipe his mistress clean?!"

Sophie’s grip on the invitation tightened. She suddenly understood why Julian’s name was on it. Because he was a walking billboard. With him spearheading the event, many people who neither knew nor cared about an antique exhibition would flock to it like ducks to water, purely for the chance to network with him. They would show up, lend the event prestige, and build immense momentum. That way, the scale of the exhibition would be blown out of proportion. Only then could Stella’s "good name" spread far and wide.

Taking a deep breath, Sophie said, "I’m going over there."