Chapter 103 Forcibly Hugging Her

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Forcibly Hugging Her

Sophie Winslow’s vision was a blur. Driven by sheer survival instinct, she desperately clung to the lifeline that had plunged into the water. The arm wrapped tightly around her waist felt hard and unyielding. In an instant, she was thrust past the surface.

Oxygen flooded her lungs. Sophie’s vision went black. The shadows of past trauma left her mind completely blank, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"Sophie?" A cold, magnetic voice rang in her ears. She had already been carried ashore.

Her head throbbed intensely. Peeking through half-open eyes, she saw Julian Sterling’s sharply defined jawline. Water dripped from his soaking black hair. His expression was icy as he swiftly grabbed a bath towel from a nearby chair and wrapped it around her.

Sophie’s lungs burned with pain. She already had a cold, and after accidentally inhaling water, she felt like she was burning up. Her limbs were entirely limp. Julian carried her in his arms, striding outward at a rapid pace. Yet, she didn’t feel a single bump; the arms holding her were remarkably steady.

"Mr. Sterling? Who are you carrying?"

While they waited for the elevator, Sophie heard someone call out to Julian. It sounded like Lucas Langley. But Julian didn’t stop walking. He simply spared a second to pull the towel over her face, shielding it from view.

Back in the top-floor presidential suite, Sophie felt a wave of nausea. Julian kicked the washroom door open, carried her inside, and set her down on the counter. She immediately threw off the towel, bent over the sink, and retched water.

Her stomach and lungs were on fire. Water was still trickling from the dark hair near Julian’s brow. Watching her suffer, he didn’t say a word, only raised his hand to gently pat her back.

After catching her breath, Sophie finally noticed the warm palm rhythmically patting her back. Clinging to the sink, she looked up at him. The man’s eyes were like dark pools of ink, impenetrably deep and heavy. Yet, they held no distinct emotion. There was no urgency, no heartache—as if he were merely acting out of convenience.

"Feeling better?" Julian looked at her, his white shirt completely soaked through.

His gaze swept over her from head to toe. Sophie was hardly in a better state. She was wearing only a white scoop-neck long-sleeve T-shirt. After falling into the water, the fabric clung to her skin, becoming nearly transparent. It clearly revealed her light beige lace bra underneath, which heaved violently like crashing waves in time with her rapid, ragged breaths.

Julian’s gaze was far too calm and undisguised. Sophie looked down. Her expression shifted as she abruptly pulled the towel back around herself. "Get out!"

Julian clearly didn’t care about her intense reaction. He turned without hesitation and closed the door. But barely two minutes later, the door opened again. Julian handed in a stack of neatly folded, dry clothes. On top of them rested a set of her clean underwear.

Sophie’s expression worsened. "Why did you go through my suitcase?"

"So you’d prefer I didn’t care when you fell in the water?" he retorted, showing no intention of yielding to her.

Sophie frowned deeply. Julian didn’t see the issue; they had been married for seven years, and he had seen her in every possible state. He set the clothes down within her reach and closed the door once more.

Sophie was freezing and couldn’t be bothered with the details. This long-absent dynamic of them acting like a married couple was making her extremely uncomfortable. Stiffly and slowly, she changed into the dry clothes, towel-dried her hair, and leaned against the wall to step out of the bathroom. The fever, combined with the lingering shock, left her legs feeling like jelly.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw Julian leaning against the frame. Sophie was surprised he hadn’t left yet. Seeing her come out, he reached out to carry her again.

Sophie shoved hard against his chest. "Don’t touch me." The sudden, forceful movement nearly threw her off balance.

Julian stared at her and let out a faint scoff. Ignoring her resistance, he picked her up anyway and carried her toward the bed. Before Sophie could react, she was placed on the mattress.

"The hotel sent some medicine up. Take it first." Now with only a dry towel draped around his waist, Julian took a seat in a chair with his long legs extended, handing her a few pills. He had already placed a glass of warm water on the nightstand.

Throughout the entire process, his face held no warmth. His features remained detached, perhaps even callous. It was as if he were merely fulfilling a basic humanitarian duty.

"Thank you. I’ll take them. You can leave now." Sophie didn’t want to deal with him and tried to keep her tone as polite as possible.

Stretching his long legs, he replied flatly, "I’ll leave once you take them."

His gaze was far too sharp, as if he had already seen through her intention to skip the medicine. No one knew better than him how much she hated taking pills. Sophie swallowed her frustration, pressed her lips together, and took the pills from his palm, washing them down with water while keeping her face expressionless. The bitter taste was hardly enough to bother her anymore. After all, the suffering she had endured because of the man sitting in front of her was far worse.

"Happy now?" As she asked, Sophie picked up the alarm clock by the bed and set it for six-thirty.

Julian’s dark eyes rested on her. The woman’s cheeks were deathly pale, but she couldn’t hide the unmistakable eviction in her eyes. He took the empty water glass from her. "Go to sleep."

Sophie watched Julian leave before finally breathing a sigh of relief. She wrapped herself tightly in the blankets, wanting nothing more than a good night’s rest. She had to discuss a contract investment with Lucas Langley tonight, and she needed to get it done. Even if she felt miserable, she had to go.

Sophie fell into a deep slumber. Her dreams were just as heavy. Her memories drifted back to that year, to the moment her endlessly precious bracelet was cruelly tossed into the massive lake at the Sterling family’s old manor. Without a second thought, she had dived in to retrieve it. She smashed her forehead against a stone wall in the water, on the verge of death. Then, a figure plunged into the water, swimming straight toward her...

***

When Sophie woke up, her face, neck, and body were drenched in sweat. She absentmindedly pushed her damp hair back, revealing her smooth forehead. A dim, soft wall lamp was on in the room. Outside the window, neon lights were already flashing against the pitch-black sky.

Sophie’s scalp tingled. She frantically looked at the bedside alarm clock. It was almost nine o’clock. Why hadn’t her alarm gone off? She jolted up so fast that another wave of dizziness washed over her.

The door was suddenly pushed open from the outside. When Julian strode in on his long legs, Sophie was still reeling. "Why are you still here?"

He had changed into fresh clothes and likely taken a shower, bringing a waft of clean body wash scent with him. Julian evidently couldn’t care less about her hostile reaction. Walking over, he picked up a thermometer gun, reached out to brush the sweaty bangs from her forehead, and took her temperature. His dark eyes briefly swept over the small scar near her temple, usually hidden by her hair, before looking away without any reaction.

"Thirty-seven point one. Your fever broke."

"I asked why you’re still here. Where is my phone?" Still feeling groggy, Sophie turned around, patting the bed to search for it.

Julian watched her carelessly, toying with the thermometer gun as he delivered the facts. "It fell into the swimming pool. They haven’t found it yet."

Sophie fell completely silent.

So, had she just stood Lucas Langley up?