Chapter 216 Get Lost Once You’ve Calmed Down!

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: Get Lost Once You’ve Calmed Down!

Earlier, Professor Coleman had maintained a steady, polite demeanor while chatting with them. But the moment the mysterious, exceptionally promoted associate professor was mentioned, his expression visibly lit up. He clearly held this professor in high regard.

This made Stella Sutton even more curious. She had already intended to meet them anyway. Anyone who could make Professor Coleman this delighted had to be the real deal. Building a connection with them would only benefit her. Julian Sterling also couldn’t help but follow Professor Coleman’s searching gaze.

Just then, someone announced, "Chairman Hayes is here."

Professor Coleman instantly withdrew his gaze and looked in the other direction. Stella felt a bit disappointed at not seeing the professor in person, but Chairman Hayes’s arrival made her perk up again. Julian didn’t move. His gaze remained fixed in the direction Professor Coleman had been looking. It was the southeast corner, bustling with people. Amidst the shifting figures, he vaguely spotted a familiar, slender silhouette.

Sophie Winslow was sitting over there.

Stella said softly to him, "Julian, Chairman Hayes is here. Come with me to say hello."

Julian calmly withdrew his gaze.

Stella kept Maeve Walsh’s words in mind—she had to build a good relationship with the York family. Seeing Chairman Hayes approaching, an elegant smile graced her lovely face. "Chairman Hayes—"

Winnie Hayes didn’t seem to notice her. Just as Stella opened her mouth, the older woman walked right past. She didn’t stop for Stella.

The smile on Stella’s lips froze slightly. She couldn’t help but look back, only for her expression to abruptly darken. Winnie Hayes had walked straight up to... Sophie Winslow.

Evan York also witnessed this scene as he walked over. He truly didn’t understand it. His grandmother, who usually had ridiculously high standards, genuinely felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to Sophie.

Seeing Winnie heading her way, Sophie immediately stood up. "Chairman Hayes."

Winnie looked at her. Despite what had happened with Adrian Hawthorne at the York Gardens, she still patted Sophie’s arm. "Winslow, don’t be so tense. Just be yourself. I know how to separate personal matters from professional ones."

She knew that given her status and the recent personal incident where Sophie had seemingly offended her, the young woman might feel burdened. She didn’t want that to happen.

Sophie was a bit surprised. She wondered if Winnie was actually worried that she would be on pins and needles.

Winnie had merely come over to say hello. After saying her piece, she waved her hand. "I’ll be going now."

The elderly woman was eighty years old, yet Sophie inexplicably noticed that Winnie wasn’t looking too well during this appearance. Her face was a bit pale. She wondered if it was just out of exhaustion.

This entire interaction fell into the eyes of the onlookers. Stella subconsciously clenched her fingers. She didn’t understand. Sophie had fought with the York family’s daughter over a husband, so why hadn’t Winnie retaliated against her? With Chairman Hayes’s status, she could easily banish Sophie from the industry.

"Chairman Hayes seems quite willing to let bygones be bygones with Sophie." She pursed her lips, an inexplicable sense of unease settling in her chest and causing her expression to darken.

Evan knew his grandmother kept her personal and professional lives separate. But he found it strange too. Like him, his grandmother seemed to harbor a natural, inexplicable reluctance to be harsh with Sophie. It was very odd.

"The problem lies with Adrian Hawthorne, and Chairman Hayes’s mind is as sharp as a tack," Julian spoke up at a leisurely pace.

Evan couldn’t deny that point. Speaking of which, he suddenly looked around. "Doesn’t Master Lockwood have connections too? Why isn’t Finn Lockwood here today?"

At the mention of this, Stella’s expression became momentarily unnatural. "Finn has been grounded by his family."

Evan glanced at her. "Because of the project?"

The incident had blown up quite a bit, so naturally, he knew about it. It was obvious that the project had been handed a death sentence the moment it launched. It had barely entered the trial phase before it became entangled in a fatal lawsuit. This effectively severed any possibility of future cooperation. If Julian hadn’t turned the tide, Stella Sutton would have faded into obscurity within the industry. One could only imagine how furious Master Lockwood must have been.

"All I know is that Finn was transferred out of headquarters and demoted. The old master sure is ruthless to his own grandson." Evan had heard some rumors about it. Finn had suffered heavy losses this time. Not only had he paid a massive sum in compensation, but he was also demoted and exiled to a branch office.

Stella pursed her lips and lowered her head sadly. "It’s all my fault. If it weren’t for my poor judgment of character, Finn wouldn’t have been dragged into this."

She wasn’t sure what Finn thought of her now. If he held a grudge against her because of this, it would be highly detrimental to her.

Julian didn’t respond. He merely absentmindedly rubbed his lighter. He had known about Finn’s situation from the start. He knew Finn wouldn’t be entrusted with any major responsibilities by the old master for the next couple of years. Being demoted and banished was far worse than losing tens of millions. The price he paid was steep.

***

The academic lecture proceeded smoothly.

Sophie kept a low profile the entire time. She listened intently, gaining a wealth of knowledge from today’s conference. At the same time, she grew to understand exactly why Ms. Winnie Hayes was hailed as a national treasure. After all, this was a great woman who had won a Nobel Prize in her sixties. She had significantly propelled the domestic medical field forward.

Sophie packed up her bag. Just as she was about to go find Philip Preston, she heard a gasp from the front.

"Chairman Hayes! Oh no! Chairman Hayes has fainted!"

Sophie’s heart gave a violent lurch. Recalling how unwell the Chairman had looked earlier, she hurriedly ran over.

A crowd had already gathered around the podium, everyone’s faces etched with panic. Some frantically called the infirmary, urging them to send someone immediately. Others dialed for an ambulance, requesting a dispatch from Kingsford University Hospital. Since there was no emergency equipment on hand, they could only wait for an ambulance.

When Sophie squeezed her way in, she found that Stella had already rushed forward to administer first aid. Evan was also kneeling on the ground, his face pale with shock.

Sophie didn’t pay attention to how Stella was performing first aid. Instead, she observed the Chairman’s complexion and specific symptoms: jaw clamped shut, hands tightly clenched, and a rattling sound of phlegm in her throat. This was a stroke caused by extreme exhaustion.

Stella was already checking her pupils. "I’ll start CPR!"

Sophie’s expression changed. "Let me look at her."

At a time like this, the priority should be turning the patient’s head to the side to prevent choking on phlegm, not performing CPR. She instinctively crouched down to help.

Stella, however, shot her a cold glare. "This is Chairman Hayes! Are you really trying to steal the spotlight right now? Sophie! Please don’t delay her treatment!"

She knew all too well how massive the rewards would be for saving Winnie Hayes. Sophie obviously knew this too, purposely stepping out to show off at a time like this!

Sophie was genuinely furious now. A life was at stake—and it was Chairman Hayes, a pioneer who had made immense contributions to the medical field. Yet Stella was still wasting time. With an icy expression, Sophie shoved Stella aside, knelt on the floor, and turned Winnie’s head to the side. She didn’t care in the slightest about getting vomit on her hands.

Seeing that Sophie was actually trying to steal the credit, Stella reached out to stop her. "Where is security? Please kick her out!"

Being repeatedly yanked and prevented from administering immediate first aid pushed Sophie over the edge. Her stunning face turned ice-cold. Spinning around, she raised her hand and delivered a vicious slap.

"Are you calm now? If you are, then get out of the way!"