Chapter 86 Completely Kicking Out Stella Sutton

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Completely Kicking Out Stella Sutton

Sophie Winslow and Ivy Hawthorne headed downstairs.

The ground floor of the Calyx inpatient building was bustling with people. The early spring air had lost its biting chill, but Sophie walked with her eyes downcast, lost in thought.

Beside her, Ivy chattered away indignantly. "Stella Sutton is only framing you because she’s dead certain there are no security cameras! How could she not know Barbara Coleman was the one who pushed her? The moment Barbara shifted the blame, Stella immediately pointed the finger at you. That woman is pure poison and scheming to the core!"

Sophie knew this all too well. If she didn’t clear this up completely, it would undoubtedly leave endless trouble in its wake. Stella wouldn’t let this go easily. Truth be told, Stella was probably seeking revenge for the slap Sophie had given her last time.

"Isn’t that Barbara Coleman?" Ivy suddenly pointed.

Sophie looked up and saw Barbara stepping out of a car, heading toward the hospital. Sophie walked straight over and blocked her path.

Upon seeing Sophie, Barbara’s eyes flickered briefly before she let out a cold sneer. "What? Are you here to apologize to your husband’s mistress?"

That single sentence told Sophie everything she needed to know. Barbara had indeed thrown her under the bus.

"Don’t blame me," Barbara said, looking Sophie up and down with a click of her tongue. "At the end of the day, to outsiders, you hate Stella far more than I do. Stella and my Charles are only engaged; they aren’t married yet. But you? After seven years, having your husband stolen by her is a massive humiliation. Compared to my wanting her dead, people are much more likely to believe that you couldn’t tolerate her existence."

Why shouldn’t she dump the blame on Sophie? Everyone would believe it. Barbara had sobered up immediately after the incident, realizing that hurting Stella meant harming Julian’s most prized treasure. She couldn’t gamble on Julian showing mercy to her, even if she was his aunt. Besides, Sophie was soon to be a discarded wife anyway. Being thrown out and retaliated against by Julian wouldn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things.

Furthermore, if the old madam found out she had gone to make a scene with Stella, nearly exposing the Sterling family’s scandals, she would be in deep trouble. Thus, that very night, she had gone to the hospital to find Julian. She told him to his face that Sophie was the culprit.

She still remembered the dark, obscure look in Julian’s eyes at that moment; it was so terrifying she had suffered nightmares for two straight nights. Thank goodness she had passed the buck so quickly.

"Well then, I wish you all the best," Sophie replied evenly. "I hope you enjoy hearing Stella call you ’Aunt Barbara’ every day, and watching your son defer to her when he gets out. What wonderful sibling harmony. I’m sure the Sterling family will prosper beautifully."

Leaving those words hanging in the air, Sophie ignored Barbara’s instantly sour expression and walked away with Ivy.

Sophie headed back to Helios. Mr. Preston had just heard the news himself.

"You didn’t call the police?" Mr. Preston asked.

"Stella knows full well it wasn’t me. Naturally, she wouldn’t dare involve the police," Sophie said, grasping the crux of the matter.

"I have a feeling she has an ulterior motive," Mr. Preston remarked after a brief silence.

Sophie looked up, her expression perfectly composed. "If she won’t call the police, I will. I’ll gladly give her exactly what she’s asking for."

Ivy immediately caught on and clapped her hands together. "When the truth comes out, she’ll be held legally responsible for framing you!"

Sophie nodded. "So let’s grant her wish."

Mr. Preston opened his mouth to reply, but his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and answered. As he listened, his expression grew increasingly grave until he finally let out a scoffing laugh. The call ended shortly after.

Ivy immediately leaned in. "What happened? Who got on your bad side?"

Sophie looked at him curiously as well.

Mr. Preston placed his phone on the desk, shaking his head in disbelief. "That was Stella. Guess what she wanted? She came to me with demands, heavily embellishing what you supposedly did to her. She demanded that I fire you—that you be expelled from Helios and removed from the project team."

Realization dawned on Sophie. So that was her true goal. Holding off on calling the police wasn’t about leaving room for negotiation; it was leverage to get Sophie kicked out of Helios.

"She made it clear that if Helios doesn’t deal with you, she will refuse to return to Kingsford University to finish the wrap-up work. The blame for any delayed progress would fall squarely on your shoulders," Mr. Preston explained.

Stella’s exact words had been: "It’s just firing a lowly researcher. It would be a good thing if it helps Mr. Preston avoid major trouble. Sophie’s departure won’t have the slightest impact on our joint project."

A lowly researcher? Sophie was Faye, the unparalleled database expert behind Digital Chinese Medicine. In this joint cardiovascular project, Sophie was the one overseeing the entire pharmaceutical process from start to finish. A mere team member was trying to kick out the core pillar of the project? Had Julian spoiled Stella to the point of such staggering arrogance?

Sophie wasn’t even all that surprised. In a way, she and Stella were on the exact same wavelength.

She looked at Mr. Preston. "She has been stalling for quite a while now. According to our initial contract, this constitutes a severe breach. You can contact Kingsford University and have her removed from the team." If Stella wanted to put on airs so badly, Sophie would gladly help her off the stage.

Mr. Preston understood her meaning perfectly. After mulling it over for a moment, an amused grin spread across his face. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "Mr. Caldwell holds a lot of weight at Kingsford University. We should just mention this to him. He’s already furious over Stella’s brother injuring Lydia last time. Having Mr. Caldwell make the call will be much more straightforward and save us a lot of trouble. It’ll also prevent the university from trying to wrangle with us just because Julian is an investor."

Sophie agreed. Everything in this world had a cause and an effect. Stella had better be prepared to bear the consequences.

Meanwhile, at the hospital.

Stella was in no rush to be discharged. Her injuries weren’t actually that serious. She was simply biding her time, waiting for a response from Helios.

As soon as Sophie was out of the picture, Stella could immediately return to her post. After all, the clinical trials had already begun, and she was eager to see things finalized. Securing her name on the drug’s research and development credits was more important to her than anything else.

Maeve Walsh and Isaiah Sutton had come to keep Stella company today.

"How did Helios reply?" Maeve asked as she peeled an apple.

Stella arched an eyebrow. "They didn’t give an immediate answer, but it’s pretty much a done deal. Mr. Preston wouldn’t offend Julian and me over some insignificant researcher. It’s simply not worth the cost."

Once Sophie left Helios, she would lose her chance to be credited on the project. More importantly, she wouldn’t be able to constantly parade herself in front of Julian. It was the perfect solution.

Isaiah sighed. "That Sophie girl has such an arrogant temperament. She never knows when to back down even when she’s in the right. Suffering a setback like this will slowly teach her how to behave."

"Tossing her into the countryside didn’t stop her from making trouble. I guess it’s true what they say: a menace lasts a thousand years," Maeve sneered. She thought to herself that they should have had Isaiah throw Sophie much further away back then. Otherwise, Sophie would never have snatched the position of Mrs. Sterling, which rightfully belonged to Maeve’s daughter.

"It doesn’t matter. Once she’s fired, she’ll no longer be an eyesore," Stella said, slowly curling her lips into a smile as she flipped through a medical textbook.

Satisfied, Maeve finally beamed. "That’s true. Even in her next life, she’ll never be able to compare to you."

Stella’s phone suddenly rang. She glanced at the screen. It was a call from the project director at Kingsford University.

She figured they were calling to share the good news of Sophie’s termination and to formally invite her back to wrap up the project.

The moment she answered, a voice on the other end spoke with profound regret. "Miss Sutton, I’m very sorry, but our collaboration has been terminated. The university president has personally intervened. You are no longer required to participate in the later stages of the research and clinical work."

Stella’s expression froze. "What do you mean?"

"You have been kicked out of the project team. This is not up for discussion; it is an official notice."