Chapter 251: He Put On the Ring

Chapter 251: Chapter 251: He Put On the Ring

Julian Sterling was "chasing" her away. Sophie Winslow understood the implication. He didn’t want her to get involved and disturb their private gathering. But she didn’t need him to draw boundaries or chase her off—she hadn’t planned on going in the first place.

Sophie turned to Robert and said, "Thank you. Feel free to contact me whenever you have time."

Robert could only give Sophie a polite cheek kiss and say, "Alright."

Sophie left without looking back.

Things had already come to this. There would be absolutely no issues with Stella Sutton’s report now. Even if she had received Robert’s pointers, the outcome would remain unchanged. As for the time Charles Sterling had privately sought her out for a partnership, failed, and subsequently verbally harassed her, Sophie naturally wouldn’t be so full of herself as to bring it up to Julian. Julian wouldn’t care. She would just deal with whatever came her way.

Over the weekend, Sophie went to the mall and ordered a custom-made chessboard. Then, she gave Master Lockwood a call. They had exchanged contact information previously. The elderly man was likely afraid of disturbing her; even though he knew about her exceptional promotion to professor and wanted to congratulate her in person, he hadn’t called directly. Sophie felt it was only right to take the initiative and visit him. Finn Lockwood was one thing, but Master Lockwood was completely different.

Master Lockwood was delighted when he received her call. "Winslow, are you free now?" He knew very well that Sophie must have been incredibly busy recently due to her new title.

Sophie smiled. "More or less. Are you available right now?"

"Of course! I’ll send you the address. The fish restaurant I opened just got some excellent fish these past two days. I saved some just for you—come over and have a taste."

Sophie agreed.

The address Master Lockwood sent wasn’t in the city center. It was located on a mountain in the far outskirts. Isolated and tranquil, it was a private kitchen—a recreational retreat for the wealthy in their spare time. However, the mountain roads were relatively difficult to navigate, and the recent rain had made them rather slippery. Sophie wasn’t confident in her mountain driving skills, so she simply took a taxi with her gifts. The drive took nearly two grueling hours before she finally reached the destination.

Looking at the uniquely decorated fish restaurant before her, Sophie walked up to the entrance and unexpectedly spotted a familiar Rolls-Royce. Even the license plate number was a highly recognizable status symbol. It was Julian’s car. He was here, too. Sophie frowned at the vehicle, suddenly feeling the urge to turn and run. Especially since Julian knew she had supposedly given birth, and she had leaned into that misunderstanding, she felt a natural, lingering sense of guilt around him.

Just as she turned around, she heard Master Lockwood’s booming voice. "Winslow! Why aren’t you going in when you’ve already arrived?"

Sophie saw two figures, one tall and one short, strolling over from a distance. Julian had probably accompanied the elderly man for a walk. Seeing her arrive, he didn’t show any surprise. His thoughts were always difficult to read.

Sophie could only nod. "I just got here."

Master Lockwood warmly ushered her inside. "The kitchen is already preparing the fish. Freshly caught and freshly prepared—it’s incredibly delicious." As he spoke, the elderly man belatedly realized something. He gestured to Julian and said to Sophie, "Mr. Sterling—you’ve met him, haven’t you? At my birthday banquet."

Sophie nodded, showing no intention of offering a verbal greeting. Neither did Julian. The two didn’t even exchange a glance, acting more estranged than actual strangers.

Master Lockwood could tell they truly weren’t familiar with each other. Having been semi-retired for years, he knew very little about affairs in the outside world, so he didn’t press for further introductions. He turned to Julian instead. "You didn’t bring your wife today. You should bring her over for a taste next time."

A faint smile curled the corners of Julian’s lips as he agreed, "I will."

Sophie noticed that subtle smile and guessed that the person he was thinking of wasn’t her. Since he had already bought wedding rings with Stella Sutton, the "wife" he would bring next time was naturally Stella.

She walked quietly in the lead. As she entered the restaurant, she stepped on a patch of undried rainwater on the steps and slipped. Julian was right behind her. He instinctively reached out and gripped her forearm, steadying her. Aside from the warmth of his palm on her arm, Sophie detected a faint, almost imperceptible chill. Without time to look closer, she turned back, met his deep, dark eyes, and said politely, "Thank you."

Seeing that she had regained her footing, Julian casually released her arm. "Mm."

It was in that brief moment that Sophie noticed the sparkling ring on Julian’s finger. Under the glare of the overhead lights, the minimalist plain band was exceptionally striking. He was wearing a ring. But just as she took that extra glance, Julian slipped his hand into his pocket, and the cold silver gleam vanished.

He brushed past Sophie, continuing his conversation with Master Lockwood as they walked. Sophie recalled Stella Sutton’s Moments post from a few days ago, which mentioned buying diamond rings. Was Julian’s ring part of a matching set?

She raised her own hand, glancing at the ring mark that had gradually been fading since she took off her wedding band. Though it was much lighter now, it was a ring she had worn for seven years; the indentation wouldn’t vanish completely anytime soon. But in truth... during their entire marriage, Julian had never worn his wedding ring. It was only now that he put one on—for another woman.

Sophie lowered her hand and continued walking forward. Aside from a wistful sigh over the past, she couldn’t muster any other emotions.

Master Lockwood was a man who loved life, and the fish restaurant he opened was mostly to entertain guests and friends. They entered a private room with a terrace that offered a sweeping view of a sea of clouds and a dense forest. The elderly man bustled off to rush the kitchen, acting just like an ordinary grandfather.

For a moment, only Sophie and Julian were left in the private room. The two sat at the farthest opposite ends. Neither spoke. The atmosphere was even colder than when they had fought the most fiercely years ago.

When Finn Lockwood walked in, he initially wore a smile. But the moment he saw Sophie, he frowned in surprise. "You’re here too?"

Sophie hadn’t expected Finn to come either. She didn’t respond.

Finn’s gaze darted to Julian, and realization washed over him. He walked over to Sophie and couldn’t help but chuckle. "You should’ve just done this in the first place. You said such harsh things before and gave me absolutely no face. But in the end, didn’t you still come because Julian is here?"

He knew it. A woman like Sophie, who always put Julian first, had no real backbone. A single word from Julian could make her surrender and cast aside her so-called dignity. He made no effort to hide his mockery as he smirked. "Sophie, since you came for Julian, it doesn’t count as me inviting you, which means I don’t owe you a ’thank you.’"

Since Sophie had shamelessly come running on her own, he naturally wouldn’t treat it as her doing him a favor by meeting his grandfather.

Sophie frowned slightly.

Right then, Master Lockwood returned. Seeing Finn chatting and smiling with Sophie, he assumed they were having a pleasant conversation and couldn’t help but feel a little gratified. He specifically brought Sophie a bowl of nourishing red bean paste soup.

"Winslow, have something warm on this rainy day. I had the kitchen start simmering this the moment you called."

Sophie immediately offered the elderly man a warm smile. "Thank you."

Finn, however, noticed something was off. His grandfather was a notoriously difficult old man to please. Why did it look like he was very familiar with Sophie?