Chapter 70 Grant Them Their Wish

Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Grant Them Their Wish

The recording studio was divided into separate partitions. Guided by an assistant, Sophie Winslow quickly found the makeup room where Stella Sutton was. Stella hadn’t used the show’s makeup team; instead, she had brought her own highly-paid stylist, determined to leave a profound impression on the audience.

When Sophie arrived, before she even entered the makeup room, she saw Julian Sterling standing at the end of the corridor. He had one hand tucked into his pocket, his head slightly bowed as he presumably replied to work messages. His jacket was draped over his arm, and the exquisite texture of his white shirt caught a beam of light slanting in from the window, drawing the attention of the studio staff.

Sophie always acknowledged Julian’s devastating good looks, but this advantage paled in comparison to the messy, trivial reality of their marriage. As she walked, her gaze drifted to the hand he used to hold his phone. It was bare; there was no wedding ring. In fact, he had barely worn it since they got married. Unlike her—the ring had practically become a part of her, leaving a deep indentation that refused to fade. The contrast made her feel ridiculous. She suddenly hated how late she had realized the truth, and how late she had finally taken it off. For years, she had comforted herself by thinking that Julian simply disliked the burden of jewelry. Now that they were getting a divorce, she finally understood his intention. He was unwilling to admit he had married her; he just wanted to maintain the facade of being single to the outside world.

As soon as she approached, Julian nonchalantly turned his head to look at her, not seeming surprised by her presence. Sophie quickly realized that since she was also on the show’s guest list, Julian must have known. So, he knew she would be on camera, yet he still came to accompany Stella as a couple, making her the joke of the century? This made Sophie frown, the disgust of being toyed with growing even stronger.

"Do you have a few minutes?" she asked, keeping her tone as calm as possible.

Julian slipped his phone back into his pocket and turned to face her. "Whether it’s convenient or not, haven’t you already cornered me here?" His words sounded like a joke, but his expression was so indifferent that it made people unaccountably uncomfortable.

Sophie met his gaze directly. "I figure you aren’t too busy, considering you found the time to accompany Stella."

The remark was laced with sarcasm, and Julian heard it. His eyebrows twitched slightly as he waited for Sophie to continue.

"I rarely ask you to do anything, but just this once, can you not go on the show?" Sophie steadied her emotions, trying to state her request as calmly as possible. She didn’t want Lydia to find out how terrible her biological father was. Especially since the divorce papers hadn’t been finalized yet, she had the right to stand her ground. After all, them appearing publicly hand-in-hand was no different from slapping her in the face in front of everyone who knew her true identity.

"Give me a reason," Julian asked, looking at her calmly.

Sophie clenched her fists. She naturally couldn’t tell him it was because their child would see it. "Our time is running out anyway. Let’s leave each other some dignity. I won’t expose your affair, and you keep your true love low-profile. Wouldn’t that be a win-win?" The divorce agreement clearly stated the divorce date. They only had a little over a month left. Hadn’t Julian already read the agreement? Could he really not wait for this little bit of time?

Julian didn’t seem to care about the meaning behind her phrase "time is running out." He merely stared quietly at Sophie’s face. Her back was stiffly straight, and as she looked up at him, her eyes were rimmed with red. Even though her expression was calm, she looked like a rapidly inflating balloon, stretched so tight she could burst at any moment. He looked at her. He didn’t agree, but he didn’t refuse either. Sophie could hardly see through what he was thinking.

"I hope you’ll think about it carefully. After all, it won’t be long before we get the di—"

"Julian, we should get going." A voice from behind interrupted Sophie, cutting off her mention of the divorce certificate.

Sophie turned her head and saw Stella staring at her coldly. That look made Sophie feel as though she were some homewrecking seductress trying to steal Stella’s husband.

Julian replied with a soft "Mhm." He cast a sidelong glance at Sophie from the corner of his eye before stepping right past her with his long legs and walking toward Stella. Only then did Stella slowly curl her lips back into a smile. She brazenly hooked her arm through Julian’s, and the two of them walked away side by side.

The wind blew in from the window, giving Sophie goosebumps. Right. She really had been naive. Did she actually expect Julian to keep a low profile just because their divorce was imminent, holding back from showing off his affection for Stella?

When she went back, Ivy Hawthorne was waiting for her at the door.

"How did it go? Did you talk some sense into him?"

Sophie shook her head. "He didn’t agree."

"No wonder! I just saw Stella parading around, arm in arm with Julian, greeting the seniors. She was practically strutting like a peacock!" Ivy cursed.

Sophie, however, had no time to care; she even began to ponder. It was obviously impossible to hide the identity of Lydia’s biological father from her for her entire life. The child was an independent person who would think and analyze clues. If Lydia really saw Julian and Stella together one day, how would Sophie explain it without shattering her innocent world?

Since Julian was going to appear on camera, she naturally wasn’t going to stay and watch him and Stella be all lovey-dovey. Sophie decided to wait in the lounge until Ivy finished her work and have an online meeting with Helios Labs in the meantime.

An hour later.

Ivy sent Sophie a WhatsApp voice message. "Holy shit! Julian didn’t go on camera! Stella went on the show by herself; he left halfway through!"

Sophie was surprised. She hadn’t expected things to develop this way. "Why?"

"I’m not sure either. No wonder Stella’s expression was so stiff! I totally seized the opportunity and only gave her a tiny bit of screen time. You have no idea, she even glared at me several times during the shoot!" Ivy’s gloating laughter echoed from the phone.

Sophie didn’t feel there was anything to be happy about. After all, she didn’t care if Julian showed off his affection, as long as it didn’t affect Lydia and her grandfather. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Sophie closed her laptop and walked out of the lounge. To her surprise, she ran straight into Stella, who had just finished recording, and Maeve Walsh, who had come to pick her up. The mother and daughter were obviously not in high spirits. But upon seeing Sophie, Stella stopped in her tracks, her brows knitting fiercely.

Sophie ignored the pair and prepared to leave, but Maeve suddenly spoke up. "So you’re still here. I heard from Stella that you actually went and begged Julian not to go on camera with her. Is that true?"

Sophie looked over.

Maeve laughed. "I was originally worried that it might be a bit inappropriate if Julian and Stella went on camera together and left you out in the cold. It truly would be a bit cruel to make you watch them being affectionate. However, your father had some sudden work-related matters to consult Julian about, and he prioritizes the Sutton Family’s affairs, so he went to help your father out. Does knowing that make you feel a bit better?"

As if suddenly realizing something, Maeve quickly covered her tracks. "Oh my, you can just forget what I just said. Just pretend that Julian agreed to withdraw because he listened to your bitter pleading. That way, you’ll at least have some psychological comfort."

Sophie naturally didn’t need the other woman to remind her. If Julian cared about her feelings, they wouldn’t have ended up where they were now.

Maeve continued with feigned earnestness. "We are both women, Sophie. Surely you wouldn’t have the heart to get in the way of true love, right? Julian can’t bring himself to say this to you directly. If you just step aside for your sister, Julian will remember your kindness."