Chapter 79 Husband’s Revenge?

Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Husband’s Revenge?

His question was so calm it bordered on ruthless.

Sophie Winslow’s breath caught in her throat. She let out a short, uncontrollable laugh. Did she look like the wicked villain now, having struck the two of them back-to-back? Did they look like star-crossed lovers?

Her chest heaved until the air grew thin, and a ringing echoed in her ears. Clenching her numb hand, Sophie met the man’s profound gaze. The warm lights of the courtyard were clearly spilling over him, yet she felt a bone-deep chill.

"Why don’t you hit me back for her?" Sophie had no coat on, and the cold wind made her voice tremble at the end, but the mockery in her eyes was undisguised.

She was genuinely curious about how far Julian Sterling would go to humiliate her for the sake of his lover. If the roles were reversed and Stella Sutton had hit her today, he would probably be fussing over whether Stella’s hand hurt!

Julian stared deeply at her pale, tense face, answering with a question of his own. "So, why are you this angry? Sophie, there’s a reason for everything you do, isn’t there?"

He did not even want to entertain her comment about hitting her back. This precisely struck her weak point.

Sophie felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her head. She hated how Julian was always so sharp at grasping the crux of the matter. After all, from their perspective up until now, she was just an outsider to the Caldwell family, yet here she was flying into a rage over their affairs.

"Julian? Are you alright?" Stella, whom he had been protecting, finally snapped out of her daze. Ignoring her injured face, she looked up at him nervously.

Julian’s gaze swept past Sophie as he offered a word of comfort. "I’m fine."

Sophie watched the scene unfold. She truly seemed like the villain tearing two lovers apart. Having a legally binding marriage with Julian somehow made her the one at fault.

Stella then turned her frosty expression toward Sophie. "Are you crazy? How dare you lay a hand on Julian? Do you even act like a woman? Just based on your shrewish behavior today, we could absolutely hold you legally responsible!"

"We?" Sophie enunciated every word as she fired back. "In what capacity? His mistress? His paramour? His fuck buddy?"

Her words were overwhelmingly humiliating.

Stella’s expression shifted drastically. As much as she hated Sophie’s unreasonableness, they were currently at Hector Caldwell’s home. She could not argue with Sophie about this, lest Sophie once again mislead Mr. Caldwell’s opinion of her.

"Let’s go check on the child first," Julian said.

He seemed to have no time to argue with Sophie over the slap, his attention remaining entirely focused on the crucial issue. He had come out late and did not know the condition of Hector Caldwell’s grandchild. However, he was well aware of Seth Sutton’s temper.

Sophie pressed her lips together and was about to stop him, but Peter Preston hurried out of the house and blocked Julian’s path. "Mr. Sterling, I advise you to drop it for today. I know Mr. Caldwell’s temper. His granddaughter is the apple of his eye, and he’s currently furious. If he throws Miss Sutton and that boy out in public later, it won’t be a pretty sight."

Frankly speaking, the people residing in this area were all prominent figures. Any rumors would spread quickly. Humiliating scandals, in particular, were not glorious.

Stella’s lips stiffened. Making a scene would likely do more harm than good.

Sure enough, Julian’s gaze turned slightly cold. Lifting his sharp jawline, he glanced up at the villa’s upper floor but no longer insisted on checking on the child’s condition.

Sophie said nothing, but a cold sneer tugged at her lips. She really had to thank Julian for being so entirely devoted to protecting Stella’s reputation that he missed the chance to meet his own daughter.

"Apologies for the intrusion today. I will come by another day to make amends," Julian said to Peter with a nod. He was not someone who failed to distinguish right from wrong.

Peter gave a fake smile. "You might have a chance to come back if you don’t bring Miss Sutton and that child."

Julian was noncommittal to this remark.

Stella was indignant but helpless. Today, Julian was supposed to convince Mr. Caldwell regarding the investment in Yi’an Health for her, but this mess had to happen. Before leaving, she shot Sophie a cold glare.

"Sophie, you should be glad you’re at Mr. Caldwell’s place today. I won’t pursue this for his sake, but don’t delude yourself. Someone of Mr. Caldwell’s status isn’t a man you can latch onto just by sucking up to him."

She thought Sophie was merely throwing her weight around to curry favor with Mr. Caldwell. Having lived for the better part of a century, why would someone like Mr. Caldwell give Sophie the time of day?

She would remember this slap. Without giving Sophie a chance to respond, Stella turned and walked away. Sophie could not wait for them to get lost.

Just as Julian led Stella a few steps away, a short, chubby dark figure suddenly charged over. Catching Sophie completely off guard, the figure slammed hard into her abdomen. Sophie stumbled backward, her lower back crashing into the courtyard’s artificial rockery.

A sharp pain struck her. In the dark night, Sophie’s face turned deathly pale. The injury to her spine drained her strength, making it nearly impossible to stand. Peter reacted quickly, rushing over to catch her.

Having succeeded in his sneak attack, Seth Sutton made a face at her. "That’s what you get for hitting my sister! Bleh, you evil, bad woman!"

Seth ran off incredibly fast, darting out and hopping into the car before anyone could catch him.

Hearing the commotion, Julian turned back. His dark eyes seemed steeped in an icy chill as his brows furrowed imperceptibly. From a distance, he could not clearly see Sophie’s complexion. Nor had he seen what Seth had just done. He only saw that Sophie appeared unsteady, half-embraced by Peter. His narrow eyes darkened as he stared at her, and he turned, ready to stride over.

"Julian, I think my face is cut..." Stella suddenly gripped his sleeve, touching her cheek in panic. "It feels like it’s bleeding..."

Julian’s footsteps slowed. Turning his head, he noticed that the skin on Stella’s cheek—where Sophie had slapped her—was indeed broken. A crease formed between his brows. He faintly withdrew his gaze, turned away, and escorted Stella into the car.

Watching him choose Stella without hesitation, Sophie was not surprised.

Once the pair’s silhouettes disappeared, Sophie’s strength gave out entirely, and she collapsed toward the ground. The impact to her lumbar spine was severe. She could barely move.

Peter cursed under his breath, picked Sophie up in his arms, and carried her back into the house.

Hector Caldwell had already treated Lydia’s injuries. Fortunately, he was experienced and managed to stop the bleeding on Lydia’s palms. When he turned around, he found Sophie sprawled on the sofa with a back injury. He was bristling with anger, glaring at her, but without slowing down in the slightest, he fetched his acupuncture kit to treat her.

"I take my eyes off you for one second, and you let a child bully you?"

Sophie muttered, "He’s six years old and weighs eighty pounds. He hit me like a flying cannonball. I barely weigh that much..."

"Still talking back!" Mr. Caldwell raised his hand and inserted a needle.

The prick made Sophie’s hairs stand on end, and a cold sweat broke out from the pain.

"Endure it!" Mr. Caldwell scolded. "This back injury won’t heal unless you rest it for at least ten days to half a month."

"The main issue is that they don’t know your relationship with Sophie. Otherwise, they wouldn’t dare act so outrageously," Peter pointed out the crux of the matter.

If Stella knew, she would probably be green with regret on one hand, but on the other, she would likely be exasperated from refusing to accept the truth.

Just talking about this made Mr. Caldwell angry.

"Unless she produces results soon, I won’t readily back her up. You have to pave your own path solidly, not rely on others." Still fuming over Lydia’s incident, the old man scolded Sophie along with her.

Peter silently shut his mouth. He did not want to get yelled at as collateral damage. However, he also knew that if Sophie ever suffered a major loss, Mr. Caldwell would not actually stand by and do nothing.

Sophie understood Mr. Caldwell’s painstaking efforts. Right now, to the outside world, she was more like a rookie. She needed time to prove herself.

After finishing Sophie’s acupuncture, Mr. Caldwell went upstairs to check on Lydia.

Only then did Peter walk over. "You acted impulsively today."

Holding her back, Sophie sat up. "But I don’t regret it. A slap for each of them—they deserved it."

"Yes, but who is he? I’m afraid no one has ever dared to treat him like that since he was born. Especially since you slapped Stella Sutton as well. If she refuses to let this go and Julian Sterling’s heart aches for her, will he let you off the hook?"