Chapter 223 The Call for Help, He Didn’t Answer

Chapter 223: Chapter 223: The Call for Help, He Didn’t Answer

Sophie Winslow’s attention was drawn away. Tristan Thorne was quite tall, dressed in a bespoke suit. His features were handsome and gentle, and a pair of rimless glasses rested on the bridge of his nose. As he approached from a distance, a warm smile lingered in his eyes. Sophie gathered her thoughts and gave a polite nod. "Hello, Mr. Thorne."

Evan York, however, watched Tristan and Sophie exchange pleasantries with a hint of surprise, frowning silently. He certainly knew who Tristan was—the favored second young master of the Thorne family. Tristan had moved abroad to Port Liberty as a child to study and settle down. He had been overseas this entire time, likely having just returned. Evan didn’t know much about him personally, but they had crossed paths enough to be considered acquaintances.

Tristan also noticed Evan and smiled, reaching out to shake his hand. "Mr. York, it’s been a while. Thank you for coming to show your support today."

Evan couldn’t help but cast a sideways glance at Sophie before shaking Tristan’s hand. "How do you and Sophie know each other?" He found it hard to connect the two. By all accounts, Sophie shouldn’t have known Tristan Thorne.

"Miss Winslow and I are on a blind date today. We’re just getting to know each other." Tristan didn’t hide a thing.

Evan froze in shock. He stared at Sophie’s calm face in disbelief. "You’re on a blind date?" He almost thought he had misheard.

Sophie thoroughly disliked Evan’s disapproving and judgmental demeanor, as if she were obligated to spend the rest of her life pining for Julian Sterling. She didn’t bother answering Evan, turning directly to Tristan instead. "Shall we chat somewhere private?"

Tristan had no objections and made a polite gesture to lead the way.

Sophie left without hesitation. Evan wanted to say something, but she didn’t give him the chance. Watching her retreating figure, Evan’s expression abruptly darkened. A blind date? Was finding a new husband really that urgent for her? They had just started discussing divorce, yet she was already rushing into this.

"Mr. York? What are you looking at?" Stella Sutton walked over after greeting some guests, her peripheral vision catching the silhouette fading into the dim lighting. She narrowed her eyes, pretending not to have seen it.

Evan pursed his lips, choosing not to mention what had just happened. "It’s nothing."

Just as he spoke, Julian Sterling approached from a distance. He glanced at his lit phone screen. "What’s wrong?"

Evan gave him a complicated look, momentarily unsure whether to bring it up. After all, Julian had never been particularly interested in Sophie’s affairs. Even if she was on a blind date, maybe he wouldn’t care...

He fell into deep thought. If Sophie was out on a blind date, did that mean she and Adrian Hawthorne had truly gone their separate ways? Was Adrian unwilling to be involved with the Sterling family’s former daughter-in-law? At the thought, Evan sneered silently. And here he thought Adrian actually liked her. In the end, he was just weighing the pros and cons like everyone else. No wonder Sophie had to choose someone else.

"Let’s go look at the jewelry first," Evan said, ultimately deciding to keep his mouth shut.

Today, Julian wasn’t originally planning to attend, but since Stella wanted to come take a look, he had gotten tickets. He was essentially just here to socialize. Julian sensed a subtle abnormality in Evan’s behavior, but he merely cast a faint glance at him and didn’t ask any further questions.

Tristan Thorne led Sophie to a private dining area.

Unlike the grand, bustling atmosphere out front, there was only a single table here, illuminated by candlelight. Tristan pulled out a chair for her. "Please have a seat, Miss Winslow."

Sophie thanked him and sat down. This man was much more polite than she had expected, lacking the arrogant swagger typical of scions from prominent families.

Tristan was clearly the conversational type. He gestured for a server to pour the wine before saying, "I suppose I should tell you a bit about my situation. My grandmother and Madam Sterling are close childhood friends. Because the two elders have such a good relationship, they specifically set us up. I’ve seen your photos, so I was able to recognize you at a glance. Miss Winslow is very striking; I couldn’t possibly mistake you for anyone else."

Sophie felt a sense of indescribable complexity. Based on what he said, Tristan’s family background was indeed excellent. For Madam Sterling to directly introduce her to a blind date of this social tier... Although Sophie didn’t think there was anything wrong with being a divorcee, upper-class circles actually cared a great deal about it. This was especially true for prominent families, who all wanted a match of equal social standing. Did the Thorne family only agree to this out of respect for Madam Sterling? Or was there another reason? Sophie couldn’t figure it out.

But seeing the servers beginning to bring out the food nearby, she decided to be straightforward. "Mr. Thorne, I need to make things clear with you. I actually have no intention of entering a new relationship right now. The reason I came today is due to... some unavoidable circumstances. I hope this won’t cause any unnecessary misunderstandings."

She believed things had to be stated clearly. It was better for everyone this way, and she disliked ambiguity.

Tristan looked at her, staying silent for a few seconds before replying, "It’s no big deal. A blind date is just a chance to meet. It all comes down to mutual consent. If it works out, we get together; if not, we part ways." He was quite open-minded about it.

Sophie was just about to thank him when Tristan pushed a glass of champagne toward her. "You don’t need to be nervous. Just treat it as making a new friend."

Seeing how easygoing he was, Sophie’s mood brightened. After all, her divorce certificate was already waving at her. It was a good thing to get everything out in the open without carrying any psychological burden.

Seeming to want to ease the atmosphere, Tristan raised his glass. "Although I don’t know what unavoidable circumstances you’re facing, if you ever need help, you can tell me."

Sophie thought about it, clinked her glass with his, and took a sip of the champagne before saying, "Regarding what we discussed today, could I trouble you not to inform Madam Sterling for the time being?" She worried that Madam Sterling would grow dissatisfied again because of her rejection.

"Not a problem," Tristan agreed readily, proving extremely easy to talk to.

Sophie felt a wave of relief. This was a major weight off her chest. Since everything had been laid out, she didn’t feel it was necessary to force themselves to sit and eat together, especially since there wouldn’t be any future between them anyway. She wanted to head back to Helios to finish up some pending work, and then head to the old mansion to grab her divorce certificate when the time was right.

Glancing at the time, Sophie said, "Mr. Thorne, I still have a bit of work to attend to, if you don’t mind."

Tristan smiled in understanding. "It’s fine, no need to feel bad."

Sophie stood up. She took out her phone, intending to call Peter Preston to let him know. However, as she stared at the screen, her vision subtly blurred. She rubbed her eyes, but the screen remained a blinding white haze. A sharp ringing echoed in her ears, and a severe bout of dizziness washed over her. Her hand slipped, accidentally dialing a number, though she couldn’t see clearly whose it was.

Behind her, Tristan set down his wine glass and stood up. "Let me walk you out."

Sophie didn’t catch his words clearly. Her body felt entirely drained of strength, yet her mind was more painfully lucid than ever. The hairs on her body stood on end as a suffocating sense of danger engulfed her. Someone approached from behind and grabbed her by the shoulders.

Back at the corner sofa of the main banquet hall.

The lighting was dim and enchanting. Julian Sterling gently swirled his wine glass, his peripheral vision catching the phone screen lighting up on the table. He hadn’t saved a contact name for this number, but he recognized it perfectly. It was a call from Sophie’s new number.

He didn’t move. His gaze remained coldly indifferent as he watched the vibrating phone and its glowing screen. He didn’t answer it, but he didn’t hang up, either.