Chapter 93 Forcing a Smile?

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Forcing a Smile?

Sophie Winslow didn’t shy away in the slightest, her voice steady and powerful.

A deathly silence fell over the massive reception room. Even Lawyer Aldridge’s heart skipped a heavy beat. He figured Sophie was probably the first person who dared to curse Mr. Sterling to his face.

Evan York instinctively looked at the silent Julian Sterling. He thought to himself that although Sophie had a sharp tongue, if she wanted to win Julian back, she shouldn’t have spoken so harshly.

Julian’s eyes were dark and unreadable. The moment those three words left Sophie’s lips, his eyes narrowed slightly. He didn’t say a word, yet the atmosphere grew invisibly tense. Sophie didn’t think she had said anything wrong. She had wanted to hurl those words at him for a long time.

Julian stared at Sophie for a moment, then unexpectedly curled his lips into a faint smile, though his eyes betrayed neither joy nor anger. "We just need to gloss over this matter and pretend we haven’t divorced. The old madam naturally won’t throw another fit. You don’t have to worry. I’m not in the habit of forcing people."

Sophie, of course, understood his underlying meaning. He never had any intention of saving their marriage. That was why he suggested pretending they hadn’t divorced. This way, he could protect Stella Sutton, ensure he regained his single status, and even stay entirely devoted to Stella. Such profound foresight. He truly was deeply affectionate.

"Deal." Sophie pointed at the divorce agreement on the table. "Sign your name, and I’ll take one of the original copies."

They had been negotiating for a long time. Only now did she realize that she was the only one who had signed it; Julian still hadn’t.

At her reminder, Julian cast his gaze downward, his long eyelashes casting shadows beneath his eyes. His face was devoid of expression. He rubbed the barrel of the pen with his thumb, then calmly and fluently signed his name next to hers.

Seeing this, Sophie smoothly slid the newly signed original out from under his hand. She stood up and tucked it into her bag. "I’ll see you at the Civil Affairs Bureau."

With that, she turned and headed for the door without another word. Over the course of seven years, all the words that needed to be said, all the tears that needed to be shed, and all the truths that needed to be accepted were now entirely in the past.

The door opened and closed. Evan frowned, caught off guard. He had previously felt inexplicably annoyed, thinking Sophie was far too accommodating, and had habitually assumed she would continue swallowing glass along with her tears. But now...

"She’s not going to ask you to stay? She’s just leaving like that?" Evan asked. He couldn’t even describe his mood at this moment. Doubt, astonishment, and a faint trace of... gratification?

He found that hint of gratification far too bizarre. After all, he and Julian were friends, and he should naturally take his friend’s side.

"Mr. Sterling, it’s raining. Should we offer Miss Winslow a ride?" Lawyer Aldridge asked, turning his head to look out the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The spring rain had come suddenly, but all living things were beginning to revive.

Julian stood up and walked slowly to the clear glass windows. He happened to see Sophie dashing through the rain straight to her car. As she turned to open the door, he saw that even though she was drenched, her face was beaming with a bright smile.

Evan saw this scene as well. He couldn’t help but say thoughtfully, "Married for so many years, yet she’s smiling so happily when getting a divorce. Is she forcing herself to put on a brave face?"

How many seven years could a person have in their lifetime? It was no different from being skinned alive. He really didn’t quite believe that Sophie was truly as relieved as she appeared.

Julian watched Sophie drive away. He stood there for a while with a straight back, then replied nonchalantly, "Mhm."

The spring drizzle fell like fine needles, carrying a lingering chill, yet Sophie felt exceptionally relaxed. She returned to her apartment and quickly took a shower. Julian had apparently grown a conscience, voiding the predatory, cutthroat divorce agreement drawn up by the old chairman seven years ago and giving her a massive amount of alimony. He had also finalized the time for them to get their divorce certificate. Naturally, there was finally something to look forward to in life.

She walked over to the nightstand and took out the child custody relinquishment agreement she had tricked Julian into signing earlier. Her heart rate climbed. Once the half-month cooling-off period passed and she had the divorce certificate in hand, Julian would have absolutely no right to interfere with her Lydia ever again. Her six-year-long plan to ditch the father and keep the child would officially be a success.

After safely tucking away all the paper agreements, Sophie glanced at the time. Director Philip Preston had not yet returned to Kingsford from his business trip, so the incident where Seth Sutton caused a scene in the office naturally hadn’t been resolved. By now, Stella Sutton was probably racking her brains trying to figure out a way to see Philip and apologize. Knowing her senior colleague’s temper... Sophie could already predict the outcome.

That afternoon.

Ivy Hawthorne came over right after finishing her video editing. As soon as she walked through the door, she asked anxiously, "How did the talk go? Did he make things difficult for you? Or did he try to win you back?"

After all, it wasn’t just a fling; it was seven years of feelings.

Win her back? Sophie thought of Julian’s strictly businesslike demeanor during the negotiation. It was rare for a married couple to reach the point they had.

Sophie showed her the divorce agreement. "It went pretty smoothly. We both agreed to the divorce without any objections. As for me, I guess I’ve become incredibly wealthy overnight. Lydia is now a second-generation rich kid. She already has enough money for her future wedding and raising kids. There’s enough money to let our descendants sit back and relax for several lifetimes."

Seeing the traditional Chinese courtyard mansion listed on the document, Ivy covered her face in shock. "This mansion is one of the most top-tier properties in Kingsford! It’s worth even more than the cash he gave you. Plus the shares in Sterling Corp... with the dividends, you wouldn’t be able to spend it all in your next four lifetimes!

"For a capitalist like him and a prominent family like the Sterling Family, how could they let you walk away from a divorce with such a massive advantage?"

Marrying into a prominent family like that was hard, but getting out was even harder. Even women from equally powerful families would be skinned alive during a divorce, let alone someone like Sophie, who had no backing or background. Under normal circumstances, they would have chewed Sophie up and swallowed her whole, leaving not even a single bone behind.

Sophie, of course, understood this logic. Otherwise, the old chairman wouldn’t have made her sign a prenup back then that would only give her three million. One had to know that the Sterling Family’s daily expenses easily exceeded three million. To them, giving her that amount was essentially no different from brushing off a beggar.

But now...

She curled her lips into a slight smile. "That’s because Julian and Stella Sutton’s affair is a massive scandal. Falling in love with his future sister-in-law isn’t something they want blown out of proportion or made public. He gave me such a generous amount as hush money, and the Sterling Family doesn’t have the face to stop him."

When it came down to it, if Julian had cheated on her with any other woman, the Sterling Family wouldn’t have let her gain any benefits. But as it happened, feelings were uncontrollable. This was morally degenerate; to put it bluntly, it bordered on incest.

Sophie put the divorce agreement away, smiling in self-deprecation. "Speaking of which, I really have to thank the homewrecker for this gift."

It had forcefully multiplied her three-million-dollar property settlement by more than a hundred times.

Ivy understood how difficult this recent period had been for Sophie. She stepped forward and gave her a hug. "Then we should celebrate you escaping that sea of misery. Come on, let’s go out to eat. My treat."

Sophie agreed. She felt that her taut nerves finally needed to relax.

"Let’s pick up Lydia, and call Peter over too," Ivy arranged briskly.

Sophie chuckled, the last trace of oppression in her heart entirely vanishing into thin air. She gave Peter Preston a call.

"Perfect timing," Peter said. "I’m with Mr. Caldwell right now, so I’ll just bring Lydia directly to the restaurant in a bit."

That saved them a trip to pick her up. Sophie and Ivy headed to the restaurant first.

The place was an exclusive private kitchen tucked away in a traditional alleyway. Lydia loved their desserts the most. Normally, they operated strictly on a reservation basis, but Ivy was a VIP member, so most times she could get a table straight away.

After parking the car, they walked through the entrance, only to see the manager immediately rush up to them with an apologetic expression. "I’m so sorry, but we have no available tables today."

Sophie glanced around and noticed that the various scenic seating areas overlooking the little bridges and flowing water were completely empty. "But there’s no one here."

The manager quickly explained, "That’s true, but a major client has booked the entire venue today, so we aren’t accepting any other guests. Please forgive us, ladies."

Ivy asked, "Who is it? Can we negotiate with them? The child in our family really loves your desserts. We just need a table in the corner, and we absolutely won’t disturb them."

The manager looked up toward the second floor. "Mr. Sterling of Sterling Corp—have you two heard of him?

"He supposedly brought his girlfriend here and is throwing some sort of celebration party. A lot of people are expected to show up. Our restaurant needs to be decorated according to their requests tonight, and arranging all the ribbons and fresh flowers will be quite complicated. So, I apologize, but we cannot accommodate you two."

The relaxed smile that had been on Sophie’s face slowly faded away.