Chapter 41 Did Lydia Sneak Off to Kingsford?

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Did Lydia Sneak Off to Kingsford?

This was truly unexpected.

Sophie Winslow stared blankly for a few seconds before the realization suddenly hit her. Who exactly had blocked her—Julian Sterling, or Stella Sutton? Stella had answered the phone, which meant Julian naturally allowed her to check his WhatsApp. Her first message had gone through. By the second, she was blocked. Did Stella see the message, throw a tantrum, and prompt Julian to block Sophie just to prove his devotion?

But whether it was Stella’s doing or Julian’s own initiative, it made no difference. Julian indulged Stella in everything. Was he trying to avoid any private contact with Sophie at all costs? An image suddenly flashed in her mind: Stella throwing a fit over Sophie’s intrusive calls and messages, while Julian held her, whispering endless, patient coaxings.

Sophie couldn’t help but lower her eyes, a mocking smile playing on her lips. She didn’t know whether to marvel at their touching true love or laugh at the years she had wasted on him. If that was the case, she really was the villain here. Why hadn’t she been tactful enough to step aside sooner?

Sensible and knowing her place, Sophie didn’t push the matter further. Lying in bed, she opened her photo album and watched a few videos of Lydia. Only then was she able to extinguish the troublesome emotions plaguing her heart.

Early the next morning, Sophie went to the Helios Research Center to test some medicinal data. As soon as she stepped out of her car, she spotted a familiar Bentley parked not too far away.

Julian opened the passenger door with gentlemanly grace. Stella stepped out and tilted her head up, beaming at him.

Sophie looked away and turned toward another building. It was obvious Julian had personally dropped Stella off for work. How could she be the third wheel and ruin their atmosphere?

Later, emerging from the R&D center with her data sheets, Sophie bumped right into Julian as he stepped out of the elevator, talking on his phone. She hadn’t expected him to still be here. Not wanting to make a nuisance of herself, Sophie had no intention of going over to make small talk.

Just as she was about to walk away, Julian glanced her way. Without ending his call, he asked point-blank, "Did you try to contact me yesterday?"

Sophie had no choice but to stop. "Yes."

"I saw your WhatsApp message." Still holding the phone to his ear, Julian fixed his narrow, striking eyes on her face. His voice was casual. "There was a little mishap with my WhatsApp. The kid was messing around with it and hit the wrong button."

That kid could only be Seth Sutton. Julian spoiled the older one, and pampered the younger one.

Sophie gave a quiet nod. "Oh."

She had long ceased to care about the truth of the matter. Whether it was Seth or Stella, they only dared to do such things because Julian emboldened them. She wasn’t so presumptuous as to think Julian was actually explaining himself to her. If he really wanted to explain, he wouldn’t have conveniently omitted the fact that he’d spent the entire night with Stella.

"It’s the 26th, right?" Julian turned slightly, his deep eyes narrowing as he studied Sophie’s distinct lack of enthusiasm toward him.

Sophie realized he was referring to her grandfather’s birthday. "You’re coming?"

"I’ll contact you when it’s time," Julian said, his expression somber, sparing Sophie the trouble of having to persuade him.

Sophie honestly hadn’t expected him to agree to make an appearance. After all, he was incredibly busy. He rarely invested any time in her, let alone her family. But now, he was being surprisingly accommodating.

Sophie reined in her thoughts. "There’s no need to contact me. I’ve booked a restaurant on the first floor of The Elysian Grand Hotel. Just show up when it’s time."

She didn’t dare contact him privately again, lest Stella throw another tantrum. She didn’t want to become just another prop in their lovers’ games. She at least had the self-awareness of a soon-to-be ex-wife.

Julian cast a sidelong glance at Sophie. He could tell her attitude was far too calm and detached. Having said her piece, Sophie walked away. Julian’s gaze lingered on her tall, slender back.

From the phone’s earpiece, Finn Lockwood’s voice sounded. "Have you noticed that Sophie’s been copying Stella lately? Mimicking Stella’s unflappable demeanor. Since she can’t be your unforgettable first love, is she just trying to be a copycat?"

In the past, Sophie had never acted this way toward Julian. Julian slowly looked away.

Finn chuckled. "Julian, you didn’t marry a wife; you married a drama queen."

Julian lowered his eyes and flicked his lighter open and shut. Without replying, he got straight into his car.

It was Quentin Winslow’s ninetieth birthday, but Sophie didn’t plan on throwing a massive celebration. The Winslow family was quite small to begin with, so her main goal was simply to create a lively atmosphere to make her grandfather happy. The guests she could invite barely filled a single table. To make up for the lack of people, she planned to hire a few performance troupes to liven things up.

The banquet hall she had booked wasn’t small. The night before, Sophie had received a call from The Elysian Grand Hotel.

"Miss Winslow, I am so sorry. We’ve had a sudden surge in bookings lately. I see you’ve reserved a twenty-person table, but the banquet hall itself is our largest, top-tier venue. We have other clients with much larger parties and no other grand halls available. Could we possibly discuss moving you to a slightly smaller hall? As an apology, the hotel will offer you a twelve percent discount."

Sophie didn’t particularly mind. Giving up the room wasn’t a big deal. Not wanting to make things difficult for them, she said, "Sure, you can arrange it."

The manager thanked her profusely.

The next day, Sophie woke up bright and early. She went to the nursing home to pick up her grandfather. In his youth, he had been an elegant and highly educated man, and he maintained that dignity even in his old age. Today, he was in surprisingly good spirits. He had even specifically changed into a dark gray suit.

"Why didn’t Julian come with you?" Quentin asked as he warmed Sophie’s cold hands.

Sophie checked the time. "He’s busy with work. He’ll meet up with us there shortly."

"Good, good. It’s been too long since our family had a meal together." Sitting in his wheelchair, Quentin beamed with hearty vitality.

Looking at him, Sophie felt that as long as she could keep her grandfather happy and help him live a few more years, she was willing to do anything.

The guests attending today included Peter Preston, Ivy Hawthorne, and a few of her grandfather’s former students—just enough to fill one large table. Peter had arrived early to help set things up.

Just as Sophie was wheeling Quentin into the banquet hall, she received a WhatsApp voice message from Ivy.

"Guess what I’m doing? Ta-da! To make it to her great-grandfather’s birthday, our precious Lydia took a day off from kindergarten! She flew to Kingsford all by herself with her little backpack. Her flight is landing soon, and I’m already at the airport waiting to pick her up. We should be at the hotel in about an hour!"

Sophie’s back instantly went rigid. "Lydia came alone?"

"Her teacher was supposed to come with her," Ivy replied, "but she got held up by a last-minute meeting. She’ll be here before tonight, though, so we can all have dinner together later."

Sophie hadn’t expected the little girl to give her such a massive surprise. She wasn’t even six years old yet, but she actually dared to take a flight alone, smartly arranging for Ivy to pick her up. But, Julian was going to be here today!

She hadn’t anticipated Lydia showing up out of the blue. If those two were to run into each other, it would be a disaster. Goosebumps erupted all over Sophie’s arms.

"Ivy, don’t bring Lydia inside just yet. When you arrive, wait outside the hotel for my signal. Don’t come in until I tell you to."

Julian had promised to come, but he definitely wouldn’t stay long. Once Julian left, Lydia could come in and see her great-grandfather.

Ivy was utterly perplexed. "Why? What’s going on?"

"Julian is coming," Sophie said.

Ivy instantly fell silent. Finally, she choked out, "... Talk about too little, too late. Is he just trying to be a nuisance?"

Sophie was at her wit’s end. Lydia’s sudden arrival today had thrown a wrench into all her plans. After placating Ivy, Sophie checked the time, calculating when Julian was supposed to arrive.

This was Lydia’s very first time setting foot in Kingsford since she was born. For some reason, Sophie’s palms were sweating. She couldn’t tell if it was just nerves or an impending sense of crisis.

"Sophie, we have a problem," Peter suddenly said, walking over with a grim expression.