Chapter 110 Booking a Hotel Room

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: Booking a Hotel Room

Sophie Winslow never expected to hear such an absurd term as "brother-in-law" directed at Julian.

Just moments ago, Maeve Walsh and Isaiah Sutton’s brief exchange had easily misled outsiders about their family dynamics. It had gone so far that, right in front of Stella Sutton and Julian Sterling, the head nurse had addressed Stella as Julian’s sister-in-law.

Stella was surprised too. But soon, a glint of amusement flashed in her eyes, and the curve of her lips grew pronounced. Only then did she finally deign to glance at Sophie. "Apologies, we’ll settle our family matters right away."

She naturally accepted the titles applied to her and Julian, finding absolutely nothing inappropriate about it.

Julian’s expression remained detached, showing zero intention of clarifying the situation. Sophie knew he despised trouble; to him, explaining a mere misunderstanding was an unnecessary cost. Furthermore, he was more than willing to publicly grant Stella this status. Why would he deny it?

With that, the head nurse waved them off and returned to her duties.

Isaiah looked positively thrilled. Previously, as Sophie’s husband, Julian had brought zero benefits to the Sutton family. Since Sophie couldn’t win her husband’s heart and held no weight as his wife, why would Julian ever extend a helping hand to her maiden family? But now, things were different. For Stella, he was willing to shell out any amount of money. How could Isaiah not be overjoyed?

However, since they were in a public corridor, Isaiah shot a warning glance at Sophie and lowered his voice. "Sophie, whatever temper you have, save it for behind closed doors. Mind your manners." He refused to let her ruin this harmonious scene.

The corners of Sophie’s lips twitched into a cold smirk. She didn’t retreat a single step. "Are you going to get lost or not?"

She would absolutely never allow them to stay in the room next to her grandfather. Their only goal was to harass him. Though her grandfather suffered from dementia, his hatred for Isaiah’s family was etched deep into his bones. The Suttons were utterly shameless.

Stella felt that Sophie was being entirely too ungrateful after reaping all the benefits. If it weren’t for her, would Helios have secured such massive funding for their project? Julian had spent money to smooth things over for Stella, which indirectly allowed Sophie to secure a foothold in Helios, yet here she was, completely devoid of gratitude!

"I’m so sorry, Mr. Sterling. Sophie has always been this reckless with her words. You must have suffered a lot over the years," Maeve said, shaking her head apologetically.

Julian’s gaze fell on Sophie. Her hands, hanging rigidly by her sides, were clenched so tightly her nails were nearly digging through the pads of her fingers—a clear sign she was on the verge of exploding.

He gave a curt nod. "I’ll talk to her."

Though reluctant, Stella knew the matter had to be resolved. "Mom, let’s go get some sun in the park first." She turned to Julian with a sweet smile. "I’ll wait for you."

Her tone sounded exactly like a deeply affectionate newlywed.

Before leaving, Isaiah looked at Sophie and advised, "Speak nicely. Don’t be disrespectful and argue with Julian."

Sophie let out a slow, soft chuckle, her eyes brimming with mockery. The word "disrespectful"—were they really treating Julian like an elder out of sheer subservience?

Once the Suttons disappeared from sight, Sophie spoke calmly, skipping the pleasantries. "If you don’t kick them out, and if you let them cause trouble in front of my grandfather, you can forget about the divorce. Stella Sutton will spend the rest of her life as your dirty little secret—nothing but a mistress hidden in the shadows."

She knew very well that, right on the cusp of getting their divorce certificate, this was Julian’s Achilles’ heel. To ensure he could give his precious sweetheart a proper status, there was no way he wouldn’t compromise on this.

Sure enough, the gaze Julian fixed on her deepened. Although he didn’t show any obvious displeasure, she was certain her words had hit a nerve. Within seconds, the corners of his lips parted slowly. "Fine. I promise you."

Sophie knew all too well that negotiating with Julian was the only effective way to handle this. The Suttons were unreasonable and malicious, willing to do absolutely anything to make her life miserable. In an ironic twist, she actually had to thank Julian’s desperation to protect Stella’s reputation; otherwise, they never would have reached an agreement.

With that settled, her mood eased slightly.

"Good. I won’t keep you from dating and accompanying your in-laws." Having zero desire to waste another second on him, Sophie gave a hollow, perfunctory smile and turned to head toward Quentin Winslow’s ward.

But the moment she turned, she saw her grandfather wheeling himself out of the room. Spotting the two of them, his clouded eyes looked dazed for a brief second before clearing up significantly. "Sophie? Julian?" he exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

Sophie scratched her head, completely unprepared for this encounter. Before she could move, Julian stepped forward on his long legs. "Grandfather."

Quentin was clearly overjoyed to see them visiting together. His bony hand immediately grasped Julian’s. "Good boy. Come on, come inside and sit."

Julian glanced at Sophie. Left with no other choice, she forced a stiff smile onto her face.

Quentin’s ward was a fully equipped suite. Once inside, the elderly man immediately started rummaging around like he was hunting for treasure, eventually pulling out some fruit and tea cakes for the two of them.

"Sophie’s favorite cherries and strawberries, and Julian’s favorite aged Pu’er tea."

Despite being ninety years old and increasingly confused, he remembered their preferences with crystal clarity.

Taking a seat, Julian’s features shed their usual icy detachment, replaced by the modest warmth of a respectful junior. "Grandfather, please don’t trouble yourself."

Wearing his reading glasses, Quentin laughed heartily at the remark. "You two have rarely come to see me together over the past two years. It makes me so happy to see you." As he spoke, the old man squeezed Julian’s hand. "I thought you two might have been fighting. Seeing you doing so well puts my mind at ease. Everything has been good lately, right?"

Sophie felt a heavy lump form in her throat, entirely unsure of how to explain the situation. After all, in just two days, they would be finalizing their divorce.

"Everything is fine. Don’t worry," Julian replied smoothly, omitting the truth. Not a single trace of their impending separation could be seen on his handsome, aristocratic face.

Sophie shot him a weird look. She had fully expected Julian to come clean directly—that they were in the middle of the legal process and about to get their certificate, with zero intention of humoring the old man or softening the blow.

Sensing her gaze, Julian looked over at an unhurried pace.

Sophie abruptly stood up. "Grandfather, I’ll go brew the tea."

Quentin waved his hand, hastily turning her down. "Your brewing skills aren’t as good as Julian’s. Take a rest."

Sophie was speechless.

Only then did Julian’s lips quirk up in a faint smirk. He placed his phone on the table, picked up the aged Pu’er, and stood up. "Alright, I’ll take care of it."

The old man nodded happily.

Watching her grandfather casually boss Julian around, Sophie couldn’t even be bothered to intervene. Even the Sterling family probably didn’t order him about like this. It was entirely thanks to their upcoming divorce that Julian was in a good enough mood to play along.

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ.

The phone left on the table began to vibrate continuously. Sophie’s attention was inevitably drawn to it. The screen of Julian’s phone lit up as messages popped up one after another. She recognized that familiar WhatsApp display name.

bb.: Julian, have you finished talking?

bb.: Which restaurant are we going to later?

bb.: Or should we eat at home? Dad said he can cook, and you two can have a couple of drinks.

bb.: Julian, should I book the hotel room?

Sophie was surprised that Stella could message Julian with such unbridled enthusiasm. Back in the day, she used to text him like this too, but Julian’s replies had always been curt. Often, she would send him a barrage of texts, and he would only reply to the very last one.

His replies were always simple. "Yes" or "Okay" was the norm.

The fact that Stella could text him so passionately meant that Julian must be responding to her every word. Sophie understood this harsh truth perfectly.

The relentless buzzing was impossible to ignore. Each time a notification popped up on the screen, it hovered for two or three seconds. Consequently, when Sophie glanced over, she saw everything with agonizing clarity.

And that last sentence...

"Book the hotel room."

Curious about the incessant chiming, Quentin put on his reading glasses and peered toward the table.

Sophie’s expression shifted slightly. She immediately reached out, snatching Julian’s phone and clutching it tightly in her hand, preventing the elderly man from seeing the screen.