Chapter 83 Pushed Her Down the Stairs

Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Pushed Her Down the Stairs

The situation was truly too sudden.

When Sophie Winslow turned around, she saw Barbara Coleman already scuffling with Stella Sutton. One was a pampered wealthy lady, and the other was a privileged heiress who had never lifted a finger. Neither knew how to fight, so they resorted to shoving each other.

Stella felt somewhat insecure facing her former mother-in-law, but remembering who was backing her now, she bit her lip. She looked around defensively, making sure there was no one else around besides Sophie before saying, "This is the company! Please mind your boundaries!"

"Boundaries? By boundaries, do you mean you, you little tramp, wishing you could strip yourself bare and throw yourself into Julian’s bed?" Barbara, possessing greater brute strength, cursed furiously. "Letting you get engaged to my Charles in the first place was doing you a favor! When he went to prison, not only did you fail to keep your virtue and wait for his release, but you also climbed into his married cousin’s bed! Have you no shame?! And what’s the deal with those videos posted online of you getting cozy with Julian during the show’s filming? Are you trying to force him into marrying you?!"

Barbara was truly driven mad with anger.

Earlier today, she had hosted a mahjong game at home. Another wealthy lady who often played with them had shown her a video of Stella standing on her tiptoes, attempting to kiss Julian during the documentary shoot. The lady had asked, "Is this Julian’s secret wife? They seem so in love."

When she saw it was Stella, her face turned green with rage—on behalf of her cuckolded son!

She had known that Stella was always trailing after Julian, but seeing with her own eyes that Stella had almost kissed him—how could she endure it? What a disgrace to the family!

"I don’t know what you’re talking about." Seeing Barbara’s emotional instability, Stella said, "I hope we can talk this out calmly. Sophie, please call Julian." She looked toward the only bystander present. At the very least, they couldn’t cause a scene here at Longview!

Sophie pointed at herself. She wondered why she was suddenly involved.

Barbara turned and glared fiercely at Sophie. "Are you stupid? This woman is practically dancing on your face, and you’re just going to let her steal your husband? Come here and hold her down for me!"

Sophie was speechless. Two women were tearing at each other’s hair, and somehow she, an innocent bystander, had been dragged into the crossfire.

This was the Sterling Family’s business, and she wanted no part of it. Even if Barbara blew this out of proportion and exposed Stella’s true relationship with the family—along with the scandal of a younger cousin’s fiancée climbing into the older cousin’s bed while her betrothed was in prison—it was none of Sophie’s concern. Madam Sterling couldn’t possibly blame her for it, since she wasn’t the one who started it. Sophie turned around to leave.

Stella hadn’t expected Sophie to be so heartless as to turn a blind eye to what was happening right in front of her. Absolutely no match for Barbara’s brute strength, she blurted out, "Don’t you want your beloved antique shop back?"

That single sentence brought Sophie to a dead halt.

She turned her head, her gaze as cold as frost as she stared at Stella. So, Stella and her family knew. They had always known what the Winslow Family antique shop meant to her, ever since the Sutton Family had seized it through shady means all those years ago...

She walked over.

"Aunt Barbara, this is Longview, and Julian is still upstairs. If he finds out you acted so impulsively today... you should know his temper better than anyone," Sophie offered a gentle reminder.

Barbara’s face stiffened for a moment. She was genuinely terrified of her nephew, Julian. After he had narrowly escaped a kidnapping and returned home, he had waged a ruthless battle for power that left the Sterling Family bathed in metaphorical blood for a long time. He was a cold, ruthless man...

But the thought that Stella might actually succeed in taking his side—nailing her own son to the pillar of shame—made Barbara burn with rage. She yanked Stella toward the staircase. "But she still needs to learn a lesson!"

Sophie frowned as she noticed Stella’s precarious footing near the edge; an accident was highly likely. She stepped forward to stop Barbara. "This is the company. It would be best if you calmed down."

After all, she was the only witness. If something really happened and the Sterling Family held her accountable for standing by and doing nothing, it could interfere with her getting a smooth divorce. That wouldn’t be worth it.

Stella’s face was deathly pale. She hadn’t expected Barbara’s heart to ache so much for her worthless son. "Julian won’t allow you to treat me like this, you—"

Those words completely infuriated Barbara. She shoved Stella violently. "You little bitch, are you threatening me?"

Seeing Stella twist her ankle from the shove and immediately fall backward, Sophie’s expression changed, and she instinctively reached out to grab her. But she was too late. Stella was wearing high heels. Stepping on empty air, she instantly tumbled down the stairs.

THUD.

A dull impact echoed. Barbara froze, staring in panic at the hand that had just pushed Stella, then turning to look at Sophie.

Sophie looked down at the bottom of the stairs, where Stella lay completely immobilized by pain. Her expression finally cracked, and she turned to go call for help.

But just as she turned, she saw Julian approaching. His pace was extremely fast, his dark eyes as freezing as ice locked away from the sun. As he passed by Sophie, his shoulder brushed past hers, lightly grazing her neck. Yet, his footsteps didn’t slow down for her in the slightest.

Sophie watched helplessly as he strode down the stairs, scooped Stella into his arms, and rushed her to the hospital.

The entire sequence of events happened incredibly fast.

When Barbara finally snapped out of it, terror crept over her face. She turned and glared fiercely at Sophie. "Why didn’t you hold me back?"

Sophie frowned. "Were you even capable of listening to reason?"

Knowing how unforgiving Sophie’s tongue could be, Barbara didn’t argue and hurriedly chased after them downstairs.

After the chaotic scene, dead silence descended once more. Fortunately, most of Longview’s employees had already gotten off work. Over in the laboratory building, there was virtually no one around, so naturally, no one had noticed what just happened.

Having been caught up in the brief scuffle, Sophie sat at the top of the stairs to catch her breath for a long while before finally inching her way downstairs.

She had no idea what happened afterward. She called Ivy Hawthorne to come pick her up. Ivy dropped the X-rays she was reviewing, stepped on the gas, and arrived downstairs at Longview in no time.

"What happened to you?" Ivy asked.

Sophie shook her head. "I sprained my waist again."

"Why do you look so pale? What happened?" Ivy asked worriedly.

Frowning, Sophie recounted the events that had just unfolded.

Ivy understood immediately. Furious, she slammed her hand on the steering wheel. "Isn’t it all Julian’s fault? Of all the women he could have provoked, he had to go after his cousin’s fiancée! He turned such a massive family upside down, making them hate each other’s guts. He’s the source of all this domestic unrest! If you ask me, Stella deserved it too! The entire Sterling Family will definitely point their fingers at her now. It won’t be easy for her to officially marry into the family."

First of all, Barbara would never accept it. And Charles Sterling was about to be released from prison. How could he ever be willing to call his former fiancée his cousin’s wife? The entire Sterling Family was in complete chaos because of one woman!

Sophie turned her head to look out the window. It was hard to tell if she was being sarcastic or just sighing with emotion. "Love makes a person blind, and Julian is no exception. Even if it means going against the entire Sterling Family for Stella, he probably wouldn’t care."

For the past seven years, the Sterling Family had witnessed Julian’s coldness toward her. She was mocked both inside and outside the family; no one took her seriously. As for Stella turning the Sterling Family upside down, the Sutton Family would likely face a lot of trouble in the future.

Sophie needed to hurry up and take back the Winslow Family antique shop so that no more innocent bystanders would be dragged down with it.

After returning home, Sophie administered acupuncture on herself. She didn’t pay any more attention to Stella’s situation.

The next day.

Sophie went to Longview as usual. Today, she didn’t see Stella or Julian at the office.