Chapter 248: Lydia’s Mother Is Faye!

Caught off guard, Charles Sterling stumbled and nearly fell. He shot a dark glare in that direction.

Sophie Winslow also looked on in surprise at the girl in the hospital gown standing in front of her. She felt as though she had seen this girl somewhere before; there was a strong sense of familiarity.

Chloe York glared defensively at Charles. “What are you doing? Are you trying to get physical in public?”

Charles recognized Chloe. She was that sickly heiress. Since they moved in the same social circles, they had crossed paths a few times. He scoffed, tilting his head to look past Chloe at Sophie. “You’d better think carefully about what I said.”

Paying no further attention to Chloe, Charles turned and walked away.

Only then did Chloe let out a sigh of relief. She rubbed her shoulder, which ached from the collision, and turned back to Sophie. “Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?”

Sophie shook her head. “I’m fine.”

Chloe smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t scare you just now, did I? I just came down for a walk and saw a grown man getting rough with you. I acted on impulse because I was so angry…”

Looking at the girl before her, Sophie subtly observed her pale complexion. “It’s all right,” she said quietly. “Thank you.”

Praised by someone as stunningly beautiful as Sophie, Chloe’s face instantly flushed. “You’re welcome! I need to get back for my IV drip. The nurses will worry if they can’t find me. Bye!”

She waved and jogged off. Sophie could tell she was a bit introverted and shy, which made her brave lunge just moments ago all the more surprising. After watching her leave, it suddenly dawned on Sophie. Chloe York—she was the student who wanted to be her mentee. Sophie couldn’t help but marvel at the coincidence. Brushing the encounter aside, she went on to buy dinner and head back.

Once Lydia was discharged from the hospital, Sophie escorted her back to the Caldwell residence. Lydia gave Sophie a knowing wink. The moment she walked through the door, she threw herself into Hector Caldwell’s arms, acting like a spoiled child and claiming she had a wonderful time playing outside. She easily coaxed Hector into beaming with joy, giving Sophie the perfect opportunity to slip away.

On her way to Kingsford University, Sophie called Peter Preston.

“Julian Sterling knows I had a child back then,” she told him. “Although there’s been some misunderstanding, just in case, could you have them scrub my records at Linden Hospital again?”

That hospital was a branch of Preston Hospital. Even though she had registered under the name “Faye,” Sophie wanted to be overly cautious.

Peter sounded slightly surprised. “Then we definitely need to handle it. I happen to have a business trip there tomorrow, so I’ll drop by while I’m at it.”

Sophie felt a wave of relief.

After arriving at the Kingsford Medical University lab, there was a brief meeting to attend. Everyone arrived one after another. When Sophie entered the conference room, she saw Stella Sutton, who had just returned from her vacation. Stella had been transferred under Professor Young and was required to participate in their current research project.

There were three or four other young women in the group. Stella opened a shopping bag and, flashing an affable smile, handed out items one by one. “We’ll be working together from now on, so please look after me. I went on vacation for the past few days, and these are gifts I brought back from Veridia. I hope you like them.”

The girls quickly thanked her.

Sophie didn’t stop, intending to go change into her lab coat. However, Stella chased after her. Beaming, she held out a small box. “There’s one for you, too.”

Sophie didn’t take it. She marveled at how thick-skinned some people could be; after everything that had happened, Stella still had the audacity to approach her without batting an eye, pretending everything was peaceful. Sensing a subtle, smug triumph radiating from the other woman, Sophie gave the box a dismissive glance. “I don’t recycle trash.”

The smile on Stella’s lips faded. “Sophie, there’s really no need to be so ungrateful. I just wanted to share some of my good fortune with you. Julian and I bought a ten-million-dollar diamond ring at a jewelry store in Veridia. This is a complimentary bracelet they gave us to match the purchase price. It’s studded with diamonds too—it’s not too cheap for you.”

As she spoke, she shoved the box into Sophie’s pocket. “Just consider it an early wedding favor.”

She wondered if it was a wedding favor—specifically, a wedding favor for their marriage. And a diamond ring, no less. She had already seen it on Charles’s phone. It was likely the engagement ring Julian had given her. She questioned whether this trip was truly just a vacation, or if they had secretly eloped.

Not a single ripple of emotion showed in Sophie’s eyes. Stella didn’t seem to care whether she accepted it or not; after stuffing it into her pocket, she turned around and resumed chatting with the others. Sophie pulled the small box out, didn’t spare it a second glance, and tossed it straight into the trash can.

“It’s you!” a crisp, delighted voice rang out from the doorway.

Sophie looked over. Chloe York was standing there. Her eyes lit up when she saw Sophie, and she eagerly jogged toward her.

Spotting Chloe, Stella pulled another gift from her bag and put on a welcoming smile. “Hello, I’m Stella Sutton. This is for you—”

Chloe hadn’t noticed Stella at all. As she rushed toward Sophie, she accidentally bumped into Stella’s hand, knocking the gift to the floor. The delicate piece of jewelry inside spilled out onto the ground.

Only then did Chloe skid to a halt. “I’m so sorry.” She finally noticed Stella.

Stella frowned, glancing at the jewelry on the floor. “It’s broken. It was quite expensive.”

Chloe looked embarrassed for a moment. “How much was it? I can pay for it.”

Stella had, in fact, noticed that Chloe knew Sophie, and that she was incredibly enthusiastic toward her. In Stella’s eyes, anyone on good terms with Sophie was someone to draw a clear line against.

Seeing that the naive Chloe was easily being intimidated, Sophie walked over and leveled a stare at Stella. “Expensive or not, whose card did you swipe to get it? Show me the receipt and the payment card number, and I’ll reimburse you.”

A cold glint flashed in Stella’s eyes. She knew Sophie was doing this on purpose. What did she mean by asking whose card she had swiped and whose money she had spent? Ignoring Sophie, Stella quickly composed her expression and smiled at Chloe. “It’s fine. It’s not important, so don’t worry about it. Let’s just consider it the price of making a new friend.”

With that, she went off to chat with the others, acting as generous and easygoing as ever.

Sophie could still hear Stella chattering away about everything she had seen and heard on her vacation. Ignoring the noise, she turned to Chloe. “Chloe?”

Chloe looked thrilled. “You know me?”

Sophie smiled at the girl’s endearingly naive expression. “Yes. I’ll be your mentor from now on.”

Covering her face, Chloe gasped. “Ms. Winslow? You’re Ms. Winslow?”

Chloe’s eyes were filled with disbelief and deep gratitude. The way she looked at her made Sophie feel as though the girl already knew her and was eagerly trying to tell her something. Before she could ask, however, a sudden phone call from Philip Preston summoned her away. Halfway through the session, the lab members were divided into groups. Professor Young took Stella’s group elsewhere.

When the meeting ended and Sophie stepped out, she saw Stella running outside, beaming as she talked on the phone. Following her out, Sophie spotted a commercial van parked outside. Stella climbed inside. Sophie recognized that van.

Inside the vehicle, Evan York caught sight of Sophie. His gaze involuntarily followed her.

Stella slid into the seat right next to Julian Sterling, who was looking at an iPad. “What brings Mr. York here?” she asked.

Only then did Evan tear his eyes away. His expression turned serious as he looked at Julian. “I found information on the biological mother of Adrian Hawthorne’s daughter.”

Julian finally glanced up.

There was an unresolved emotion lurking in Evan’s eyes as he pressed his thin lips together. “I found out that Adrian frequently visited that hospital back then. Only one pregnant woman matched the details. That woman’s name is…”

“Faye.”