Chapter 98 Sophie Winslow, Go on a Date With Me

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Sophie Winslow, Go on a Date With Me

On the way back, Sophie Winslow and Peter Preston reviewed the situation.

Hospitals had strict regulations. Since patient privacy was involved, there couldn’t possibly be surveillance cameras inside the wards. What was tricky, however, was that the traditional medicine ward was separated from the clinical trial center by only a single corridor. The clinical side had also been very cautious about camera placement, resulting in a blind spot right where Seth Sutton’s ward was located.

It seemed this accusation of attempted murder was going to be difficult to shake off.

"Every dose of our experimental drugs must be recorded and requested through proper channels. It’s not something just anyone can take out of the trial center for personal use," Peter said. "Yet Seth somehow ingested it. This is entirely directed at you and Helios. I’m afraid it’s no simple accident."

Sophie nodded. "This was too precise a strike. It just so happens that I actually do have bad blood with Stella and Seth Sutton. Anyone would think this is exactly the kind of thing I’d do."

It was entirely aimed at ruining her, and no one would even doubt the authenticity of the setup.

"If the public finds out about this, the fallout will be massive. Calyx will be thrust into the center of a medical malpractice scandal, and Helios’s drug approval could be rejected and terminated," Peter said, frowning. "Especially now, during our financing round, we can’t afford any negative press. Otherwise, the losses will be catastrophic."

Sophie knew this whole ordeal was designed to corner and destroy her. When too many coincidences piled up, could they still be called coincidences?

Even though she wasn’t panicking, she still felt somewhat apologetic. "Peter, at the end of the day, this is because of me. Calyx and Helios are just catching the crossfire."

Even if Stella wouldn’t dare offend Calyx openly, the company would still be implicated to some extent.

Peter tapped her forehead. "You’re not the one at fault here. Don’t give me that sentimental nonsense."

Only then did Sophie finally curve her lips into a faint smile.

"But Stella didn’t calculate that you aren’t just some junior researcher, but the lead director," Peter scoffed. "At your level, you’d retain your authorship credits even if you never set foot in the clinical center. Going there was just you being diligent."

The fact that they hadn’t publicly revealed Sophie’s true position had caught the other party completely off guard, foiling their plot. Right now, Stella was probably still gloating, thinking Sophie had finally been kicked out and stripped of her authorship rights.

"Let’s stabilize public opinion first and prevent this from blowing up. There may not be surveillance cameras over there, but..." Sophie hadn’t panicked at all; she knew exactly what cards she held. "...there are camera setups from Ivy Hawthorne’s production crew. Since Stella left the project team, she doesn’t know the camera placements. There will be clear evidence of who did this."

Peter was surprised. He had completely forgotten about the documentary. "Wasn’t Ivy temporarily sent to Seabourne?"

"She’s coming back the day after tomorrow. I’ll just ask her for the raw footage then."

Only Ivy had access to the raw footage. Earlier, Sophie could have indeed told Stella about the documentary cameras, but there was no need to tip her hand. If Stella wanted to set up a stage and put on a show, Sophie would gladly oblige.

Peter almost instantly guessed what Sophie was planning. On the surface, Sophie had conceded, but in reality, it was just to make the other party lower their guard. As long as the other party could bear the consequences of Calyx pursuing the matter. By making a move on Calyx’s turf, they had ensured that Calyx would not stay out of it.

After returning home, Sophie received a WhatsApp message from Evan York.

"The consequences of this matter are too severe, Sophie. Don’t ruin your own life just because you want to go against Stella. If they find out you did it, you’ll face a lawsuit and could even go to prison. You can’t handle this. Go talk to Stella, apologize, or...

"Go beg Julian. You were husband and wife once; maybe he’ll protect you."

Sophie was surprised that Evan would reach out to her. It was truly baffling, considering they didn’t exactly have a good relationship. She wasn’t the least bit curious about what he was thinking. Whether he was just enjoying the drama or trying to kick her while she was down, it was none of her business.

Even if it seemed like he was trying to offer her advice, apologize to Stella? Beg Julian Sterling for help? Evan was still taking the high ground where talk was cheap, forgetting that she was a human being too. One with dignity and principles.

Beg Julian Sterling? Impossible. She turned off her phone and ignored the message.

The next day.

Sophie made another trip to the Calyx clinical center. She had been doing research there for so long, and a lot of data hadn’t been exported yet. She needed to come over and sort it out.

Through Peter, she had learned the internal news at Calyx regarding Seth Sutton’s condition. It really was acute anaphylaxis. His airways had closed up; if the dose had been any heavier, it would have been a disaster. Fortunately, Seth was heavier than an average child and had a much stronger immune system, so it wasn’t overly severe.

When she returned to Helios, she had just reached the ground floor when she saw a familiar Maybach parked outside the adjacent office building. Julian Sterling stepped out of the car, greeted by the obsequious smiles of the opposite company’s senior executives.

As luck would have it, Julian slightly raised his eyes and immediately caught sight of Sophie standing at the base of Helios Tower. The two locked eyes across the short distance. The man’s features were elegant and impassive, making him incredibly eye-catching amidst the crowd.

Sophie suddenly recalled Evan York’s advice from yesterday, telling her to beg Julian. And today, she ran right into him. She withdrew her gaze and walked straight into Helios Tower, acting as if she didn’t know him at all.

Beg? He was overthinking it. She wouldn’t swallow her pride and run to him after their divorce for something she could solve herself. And even if she couldn’t solve it, she still wouldn’t bow her head.

Sophie’s retreating figure was sharp and aloof. Julian glanced at her, his gaze lingering for a couple of seconds, before he turned and entered the adjacent building.

Sophie had just gone upstairs and was planning to head to the lab when Peter stopped her.

"Things aren’t looking good," he said.

Sophie looked over. "What’s wrong?"

Peter frowned deeply. "Word got out about the hospital incident. The partners who decided to invest in our robotics project are pulling their funding. The contract stipulates that if there’s any negative press that could affect the project, they can withdraw their investment without paying penalty fees."

In just this single morning, four companies had already pulled out. The news of Seth’s drug allergy had originally been suppressed. Stella had also repeatedly claimed she wouldn’t blow the matter out of proportion. Yet, at this crucial juncture, the investors found out everything. It was obvious that the other party was forcing his hand, pressuring him to abandon Sophie to save the bigger picture.

Sophie looked at the list of companies that had withdrawn. "Seeking profit and avoiding harm is human nature. At least this filters out the unstable partners for us."

However, the financing was indeed critical right now. With the launch imminent, having several backers pull out at once was highly detrimental to Helios.

"Let’s go stabilize the remaining two investors first." Sophie was a woman of action. She immediately grabbed her bag and headed downstairs, knowing that minimizing the losses was the priority.

When she reached the ground floor and stepped out of the lobby, a car suddenly pulled up, blocking her path. The car door opened, and Lucas Langley stepped out on his long legs.

Leaning against the door, he looked at Sophie. "I heard Helios’s new project hit a snag and you’re having major financing issues?"

Sophie looked at him quietly, saying nothing. Lucas’s posture made him look exactly like someone who had come to watch a joke.

It wasn’t that Lucas couldn’t see Sophie’s coldness toward him. He felt a flash of displeasure, but quickly told himself not to sweat the details. Striding over to her, he leaned down slightly. "I can invest three hundred million into Helios, but I have one condition."

Sophie looked at him in surprise. She never expected that at this critical moment, the person who wasn’t afraid of Helios’s negative press and came running to invest would be Lucas Langley. And he was offering three hundred million right off the bat?

Seeing Sophie’s surprised expression, Lucas stared at her fair face. His gaze lingered on her crimson lips for two seconds. "Sophie, I want you to go on a date with me."

Sophie stared at him in speechless disbelief. "...?"

STEP—

The sound of footsteps approached from nearby. She glanced sideways, locking eyes once again with Julian Sterling as he emerged from the building across the street.