Chapter 60 The Couple’s Private World

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: The Couple’s Private World

Sophie Winslow’s brow instantly furrowed, the lingering anticipation on her face dissipating. She had only agreed to this blessing ceremony for Lydia’s grandfather. As it turned out, the whole thing was a complete fabrication.

She felt a wave of frustration. "Grandma, you know that the two of us have already..."

"Julian said he bought later tickets so you two could have the morning free for a date or something," the old lady interrupted. "Sophie, everyone makes mistakes. A marriage takes effort from both sides, and Grandma knows you still have feelings for him."

Sophie was left utterly speechless. But no matter how deep one’s feelings were, they still operated on a deduction system. No one was so bulletproof that they could endlessly and unconditionally love someone who didn’t love them back without asking for anything in return.

Grandma had already hung up. When Sophie tried to call back, the line was unreachable. Not one to wallow in self-pity, she quickly came to terms with the situation.

Truthfully, she did need to have a proper, private talk with Julian Sterling regarding the Winslow Family’s heirloom: the Small Leaf Red Sandalwood Heart-shaped Lock. She had to find a way to get it back, and this presented a solid opportunity.

After packing her luggage, she called Julian. She had no idea where he was right now, but the call didn’t go through. Sophie didn’t take it to heart and simply went downstairs alone to eat breakfast.

She thought Julian would eventually contact her or come back to find her. Yet, even when it was time for her to leave for the airport, there was still no word from him. Left with no other choice, Sophie hurriedly made her way to the airport. At this point, everything was crystal clear.

Julian had stood her up. He had even managed to pull the wool over Grandma’s eyes. Sophie wasn’t surprised anymore. After all, the person Julian wanted a romantic getaway with wasn’t her.

By the time she returned to Kingsford, it was already noon. Though she didn’t care that Julian had ditched her, she was still heavily preoccupied with her grandmother’s dowry—the Ancient Treasure.

Because her medicinal research required her to urgently process some specimens, she had to make a trip to Helios first. Entering the lab, Sophie changed into her sterile suit while dialing Julian’s number once more.

This time, it connected.

"You’re back in Kingsford?"

The man’s deep, magnetic voice seemed to carry a hint of a good mood. Sophie had no desire to address the fact that he had stood her up without so much as a warning not to wait. She cut straight to the chase. "When do you have time? I want to talk to you about..."

"Mr. Sterling, come quick! You have to try her signature dish."

Another familiar voice suddenly rang out through the receiver. A mocking gleam formed in Sophie’s eyes, her hand freezing in the motion of putting on her mask. It was Isaiah Sutton. Julian had gone to the Sutton Family home. He was celebrating the New Year with Stella Sutton, Isaiah, and Maeve Walsh.

"Let’s talk later if it’s important. I’m busy right now." As expected, Julian lost all patience to hear the rest of her sentence and hastily hung up.

Sophie stood frozen for a long time. An indescribable sensation burned hotly in her chest; it was entirely expected, yet it still struck with considerable force. He had spent New Year’s Eve dinner with her.

Now, in an effort to play both sides evenly, he had made a beeline straight for his future father-in-law’s home on the second day of the New Year. It turned out the reason he had stood her up was because he had already flown back to Kingsford to keep his girlfriend’s family company. He looked exactly like the model son-in-law, dutifully accompanying his wife back to her maiden home for the holidays.

He was so attentive to Stella and her family, yet he never once considered paying a New Year’s visit to Sophie’s grandfather. In past years, she had always had to beg and plead just to get him to reluctantly spare two hours for the visit. He wasn’t attentive or sincere; he treated it like a chore.

Sophie lowered her eyes for a moment. She supposed it truly was her fault for delaying his pursuit of true love all these years. Silently brushing her cheek, she composed her expression and walked into the medicinal specimen room.

The research and development process for this Chinese and Western compound preparation was incredibly complex, but both the Helios and Kingsford University teams were highly experienced. Helios was responsible for the Chinese medicine extraction, while Kingsford University handled the Western medicine raw materials. The process went relatively smoothly. As long as it passed the clinical trials in the later stages, they could apply for approval.

Three hours later.

Rolling her stiff neck, Sophie stepped out of the lab. That was when she saw Ivy Hawthorne approaching, carrying a rather large package in her hands.

"It’s the New Year. Why aren’t you celebrating at home? What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were back. Besides, I’m just an outcast in the Hawthorne Family anyway, so I figured I might as well come keep you company," Ivy said, shaking the tightly sealed box. "When I got downstairs, the receptionist said you had a delivery. What did you buy that you had to ship it to the office?"

It was quite heavy.

Thinking about Ivy’s less-than-ideal situation within the Hawthorne Family, Sophie let out a soft sigh. She pulled off her gloves and walked over. "I haven’t shopped online in ages. It’s probably some New Year’s goods sent by Caldwell."

Taking a box cutter, she sliced the package open to reveal a perfectly square, carved golden-thread sandalwood box. The container alone was worth a fortune.

Ivy sucked in a sharp breath. "What kind of item requires a box this expensive?"

Sophie couldn’t figure it out either. She glanced at the sender’s address and contact number on the shipping label. She recognized it instantly. It was the number for the Sterling Corp CEO’s office.

From Julian? Sophie couldn’t help but frown. After a moment of hesitation, she opened the sizable box. However, she was stunned the moment she saw what was inside.

Ivy gasped. "Isn’t this the Porcelain Double Lotus Bottle that was sold for an astronomical price by that Solara museum? There are very few left in the world! I just read the international news about it a few days ago. It sold for 199 million and caused a huge uproar online. So Julian was the one who bought it!"

Good lord. She had just been carelessly shaking the box holding this priceless treasure. If she had shattered it, it would have shattered her life right along with it.

Following her initial pleasant surprise, Sophie’s expression grew complicated. Nearly two hundred million...

"This was the most prized piece in my mother’s antique shop," Sophie murmured. "Isaiah Sutton cashed it in back in the day."

After Isaiah sold it to turn things around, the Sutton Family’s funds had swelled, and their status skyrocketed. This was also the most difficult heirloom for the Winslow Family to retrieve. Relying solely on her own abilities, the chances of getting it back were zero. Even Isaiah wouldn’t have the power to reclaim an Ancient Treasure like this.

She never expected that Julian would actually send it back to her.

"Did he suddenly grow a conscience?" Ivy asked, utterly baffled once her shock subsided. "The international web has been buzzing over this treasure. Everyone is guessing the identity of the high-level player behind the scenes."

This was no small sum. Especially with antiques, the procedures were complicated, and the cross-border processing involved a lot of hassle.

"I’ll ask him," Sophie said. She felt there was something strange about this, and given the astronomical value, she didn’t want any disputes over such a matter.

It was already five in the afternoon. Logically speaking, Julian should have already left the Sutton Family home. She likely wouldn’t be interrupting her husband’s domestic bliss with his future wife and future father-in-law.

The call connected quickly.

"Did you receive the item?" Julian seemed to be busy, his voice accompanied by the faint clicking of a keyboard.

Sophie gently stroked what was once the shop’s most prized piece. "What is the meaning of this?"

"It’s a gift for you. Are you not satisfied?"

Whenever they spoke, it only took two sentences for them to start subtly trading barbs. His rhetorical questions always carried a stinging edge.

Sophie pursed her lips, speaking frankly. "I don’t recall asking you for this. I can’t afford to owe you the favor for this Porcelain Double Lotus Bottle."

"Do you really need to be so formal with me?"

His tone was perfectly ordinary, showing no intent to argue with her. Sophie, however, didn’t view this as him valuing her needs as his wife.

She calmly asked about his demands, sounding exactly like a well-qualified business partner. "Do you want me to cover up the fact that you dined with Stella Sutton’s family today and stood me up?"

No matter how she looked at it, he would still need to answer to Grandma eventually.

The man fell silent for a moment. He seemed to chuckle softly, his tone completely unreadable. "Think about it. Do you just want me to praise you for being so understanding?"