Chapter 101 Mr. Sterling, Teach Me How to Woo Sophie Winslow

Chapter 101: Chapter 101: Mr. Sterling, Teach Me How to Woo Sophie Winslow

A brief, bizarre silence fell over the private room, cutting through the soft music playing in the background.

Even the usually carefree Finn Lockwood dropped his smile, looking at Lucas Langley in disbelief.

Lucas wanted to hook up with... Sophie Winslow?

Evan York unconsciously furrowed his brows even deeper. When he had previously heard Lucas say he was interested in Sophie, he thought it was just a fleeting curiosity. He didn’t expect it to escalate to this level. And the main point was... such an audacious statement was actually made right in front of Julian Sterling.

He rested his gaze on Julian’s face. Amidst the dancing shadows, Julian lowered his eyelids, watching the ice cubes clink against his glass. "I know her," he replied.

His tone was completely devoid of emotion. Yet, those few simple words carried a profound weight. Not only did he know her, but she was also his wife of seven years.

Stella Sutton quietly observed Julian. Seeing that he wasn’t the least bit offended by Lucas’s declaration of wanting to sleep with Sophie, she raised an eyebrow and curled her lips into a smile. Julian didn’t mind other men lusting after Sophie at all.

Lucas clinked glasses with Julian and said candidly, "I came to Seabourne this time to get in touch with her. If I recall correctly, Mr. Sterling, she used to pester you quite a bit."

Hidden in the dim lighting, Julian merely raised his chin slightly at those words.

Hearing Lucas’s assessment of Sophie, Finn and Evan subtly exchanged a glance.

"I recall mentioning to you that Sophie is a married woman. Lucas, there’s no need to make this kind of foolish mistake," Evan said, his expression somewhat complicated as he offered a roundabout warning.

Naturally, he didn’t want Lucas to get involved with Sophie. For one, Sophie hadn’t obtained her divorce certificate yet, meaning she was technically still Mrs. Sterling. For another, Lucas obviously just wanted to fool around. No matter what, Sophie was still Julian’s wife; for Lucas to treat her so frivolously was essentially a slap in the face to Julian.

Stella felt somewhat displeased hearing Evan’s words. Her subtle intuition told her that Evan seemed to be defending Sophie. Furthermore, his statement only reinforced Sophie’s status as Mrs. Sterling. She didn’t like Julian’s friends taking Sophie seriously.

Lucas poured himself a glass of wine and said nonchalantly, "Last time she was at the police station, her husband didn’t even show his face to bail her out. If she doesn’t seek out or rely on her husband when she’s in trouble, it shows their relationship is mediocre. She carries the burden alone because she can’t depend on him. Besides, Sophie might not be all that loyal or devoted to her husband anyway. Mr. Sterling should know that clearly."

He looked at Julian again. After all, Sophie had privately flirted with Julian before. She clearly wasn’t entirely committed to her marriage. At this remark, Julian finally gave him a faint glance.

"Are you serious, Mr. Langley?" he asked, his voice flat.

Lucas furrowed his brow slightly. "I wouldn’t go that far."

Stella picked up her glass and took a sip. She didn’t chime in, but amusement flashed through her eyes. Put bluntly, Lucas just wanted to play around with Sophie. Sophie was only worthy of that level of treatment. What difference was there between her and those escorts who were tossed aside after a single night?

"Did Sophie not reject you? What is her attitude towards you?" Finn asked with a frown, subtly glancing at Julian. The way he saw it, wasn’t Sophie essentially cheating? Did she even remember she was still Julian’s wife?

"She came to Seabourne and agreed to go on a date with me, so that shouldn’t count as a rejection." Lucas glanced at his phone. Coincidentally, Sophie had just removed him from her blacklist, so he directly initiated a video call. However, Sophie didn’t answer. In fact, she outright declined the call.

A flash of intrigue appeared in Lucas’s eyes. It wasn’t a bad thing for a woman to have a bit of a temper. If she was too easy to conquer, it would ruin the fun. Undeterred, he dialed again.

Unaware that Lucas was making a video call, Finn whispered to Evan, "Is Sophie crazy? Is she trying to get even?"

Evan’s eyes darkened. He remained silent, looking over at Julian, who was seated a short distance away. The man leaned against the sofa, his expression aloof as he leaned in to listen to Stella. Did he look the least bit bothered? Was Sophie regretting the divorce and resorting to such degrading methods just to provoke Julian?

"Julian? Aren’t you going to stop him?" Stella, sitting right beside him, asked in a hushed voice. She let out a silent sigh. "Sophie seems to be going a bit too far."

As Sophie’s sister, it was normal for her to express her stance.

Julian swirled his glass, his long fingers pinching the rim. "Stop what?" His gaze was clear and tranquil, betraying no sign of emotion. It was as if he was so indifferent that he hadn’t even given her question any real thought.

A smile graced Stella’s lips. She clinked her glass against his and dropped the topic. "Let’s go for a walk on the beach later. Just the two of us."

Lucas looked at the number of times his calls had been rejected on his screen. He showed no intention of stopping, dialing persistently. As he called, he continued to raise his glass and drink with the people beside him.

At the hotel.

After hanging up for what felt like the umpteenth time and still being relentlessly bothered by the ringing, Sophie stopped writing down her formula. She exchanged a glance with Peter Preston and finally answered the call.

The screen immediately displayed the dim environment of a bar. The music wasn’t obnoxiously loud; rather, it was quite soothing. Lucas was unaware that she had picked up, still chatting with someone off-screen.

"Mr. Langley?" Sophie called out.

Lucas didn’t hear her. Just as Sophie was about to end the video call, the camera inadvertently pointed at the opposite side of the table. To her shock, Sophie saw Stella and Julian sitting together on the screen. Stella glanced in Lucas’s direction, then smiled and whispered something into Julian’s ear.

Julian lowered his head slightly to accommodate her. The two of them seemed to exist in their own little world, entirely closed off to anyone else.

Soon after, Stella rubbed her arms. "The AC is quite cold over here. Julian, let me drape your jacket over my shoulders."

Julian set down his wine glass, grabbed his suit jacket from nearby, and handed it to her. A blissful smile bloomed on Stella’s face. That scene, that radiant smile—they fell into Sophie’s eyes with crystal clarity.

She never expected to witness such a sight when she answered the call. The private room was fully equipped for entertainment. As the only woman present, Stella was the center of attention. On a whim, she turned to Julian. "Why don’t we sing a duet? ’Special Person’, would that be alright?"

Sophie knew this song. It was a romantic ballad brimming with affection. They wouldn’t just be singing; they would be confessing their feelings to one another. She certainly had no desire to listen in on their budding romance or their passionate courtship.

She was just about to hang up when Lucas suddenly spoke. "Miss Sutton, why don’t you first tell us how you and Mr. Sterling fell in love? How did Mr. Sterling manage to woo you? Mr. Sterling, you should give me some pointers too. I have a date with Sophie tomorrow. How can I smoothly take things to the next level with her?"

That phrase—take things to the next level. Sophie wasn’t an idiot. She naturally understood he meant sleeping with her.

She never anticipated that Lucas would seek advice from Julian of all people. She was actually just a piece of gossip fodder for Lucas and Julian’s circle. And Julian was going to teach Lucas how to... conquer her?