Chapter 120 Two Flavors of Shit, Must I Choose One?

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: Two Flavors of Shit, Must I Choose One?

Julian Sterling glanced over from the corner of his eye. "Did she ask you to bring this up?"

The question lacked emotion, sounding perfectly ordinary—halfway between a rhetorical question and an interrogation. For a moment, Ms. Coleman couldn’t quite gauge Julian’s attitude. But since the words were already out, she concealed her thoughts. "Mr. Sterling, I’m a woman too, so I understand Mrs. Sterling’s feelings."

In response to Ms. Coleman’s answer, Julian gave a slow, unhurried chuckle. It brought a touch of human warmth to his usually ascetic and emotionless face.

"Go get some rest."

He remained noncommittal about Ms. Coleman’s words and showed no significant reaction to the topic of having a child. Ms. Coleman didn’t try to persuade him any further. The old Mrs. Sterling had issued an absolute ultimatum, using her formidable influence: the two of them must have a child. Ms. Coleman figured that Sophie Winslow would most likely use this as a convenient excuse to yield. With a husband like Mr. Sterling, what could he not give her, other than love? Wanting both wealth and love would simply be asking for too much.

Sophie Winslow finished organizing the drug approval documents. The approval conference was scheduled for the day after tomorrow, and every detail was crucial. She was someone who always strove for perfection.

CLICK.

The door was pushed open. She turned her head to look.

Julian strode in on his long legs. His dark eyes immediately landed on Sophie sitting at the corner of the desk in the room. Her black hair was casually pinned to the back of her head with a clip. Her small, oval face, though entirely devoid of makeup, was more stunningly beautiful than if she had been heavily painted.

His gaze lingered on her face for a couple of seconds. As he passed the walk-in closet, he noticed the neatly stacked moving boxes inside. All of them remained sealed. None of her clothes had been hung back in the wardrobe, nor had her personal items been put back in their proper places. She looked like a proper, temporary guest—as if she was ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

Sophie looked up and closed her laptop, which displayed the proposal for Helios Robotics. She noticed an indiscernible meaning in the way he was looking at her. It only took her a second to guess that Julian probably had objections to her moving back in as well. She was intruding on his private world with someone else.

"There’s no need to look at me like that. If it weren’t for your grandmother, I wouldn’t be here," Sophie said straightforwardly. "And there’s no need for you to have a problem with my presence, either. If you hadn’t gone to keep your sweetheart company, my divorce certificate wouldn’t have been withheld, and I wouldn’t have come back."

If he hadn’t stood her up, causing the divorce certificate to be intercepted and leaving it at risk of being revoked at any moment, she absolutely never would have set foot in this place again.

"Divorce certificate?" he spoke, his deep voice fluctuating slightly.

Sophie stared at him and twitched the corner of her lips. "Don’t tell me you were so ’busy’ that you even forgot the time we agreed upon to get our divorce certificate."

When Mr. Sterling was passionately in love, it seemed he really could toss anything to the back of his mind.

Julian walked over, his expression looking as if he had just remembered. "I didn’t forget."

Sophie couldn’t be bothered to argue with him over something with such an obvious answer. "If you hadn’t stood me up to accompany Stella Sutton, the divorce certificate we acquired through the special channel wouldn’t have been forcibly confiscated by your grandmother. Now, the old lady has given me two choices: either I give you a child, or she revokes the divorce certificate."

Julian leaned carelessly against the edge of the desk, looking at her. "What’s your stance?"

Sophie looked at him as if he were crazy. "If there are two flavors of shit, do I absolutely have to choose one to eat?"

"..."

He knew Sophie’s temperament well. She never let anyone get the upper hand verbally.

Taking advantage of Julian’s silence, Sophie picked up her laptop and stood up. "On this matter, I think the two of us should be on the same side. Since you’re the one who caused this mess, you fix it. I must have that divorce certificate securely in my hands."

Because they hadn’t gone through the formal procedures when they applied for it, it had now become a double-edged sword. The constant danger that it could be invalidated at any moment thoroughly annoyed her.

Julian didn’t respond. He simply stood with one hand in his pocket and the other resting on the desk, casually tapping his fingers against the surface.

This made Sophie think a bit more, and she emphasized, "Me being here is just a stopgap measure to placate the old lady. We don’t actually need to consider having a child, and it won’t stop you from saving yourself for your beloved woman."

This time, Julian slightly raised his eyes, his expression impassive. "You’ve thought this through very thoroughly."

"Which is why I need a definitive answer from you," Sophie pressed, sounding somewhat anxious.

"You’re in a great hurry to get the divorce certificate. Is there a reason?" He had caught on to her subtle, underlying emotions.

Sophie was stumped. Meeting his dark, profound gaze, she forced her expression to remain calm. "To clear the spot completely so you can welcome your new partner. It also saves you from being forced to have a child with me, and it prevents your beloved woman from instantly becoming a stepmother the moment she takes the position."

Julian was not easy to fool; she knew this very well. Using Stella to deflect his suspicions was the most effective method. A model ex-wife like her was truly rare to find.

This time, Julian fell silent. After a long while, he finally replied, "I’ll figure something out."

"Please give me a specific timeframe," Sophie pushed relentlessly.

Julian looked at her. "Within a month."

"Ten days," she disagreed, her rejection leaving absolutely no room for negotiation. Adrian Hawthorne was about to land in Kingsford, and Lydia’s matter was imminent. She couldn’t wait that long.

Julian imperceptibly narrowed his eyes. A moment later, he suddenly gave a soft chuckle. "Xiangxiang, are you giving me an order?"

Hearing him call her by her childhood nickname so intimately, Sophie only felt uncomfortable. Things had escalated to this point, yet his casual attitude made it seem as if he thought she was just throwing a tantrum!

Sophie didn’t feel the need to back down. "You can interpret it that way," she said as she walked past him. "I’m going to sleep in the guest bedroom."

She had barely taken two steps when her arm was grabbed. She was pulled back with a moderate amount of force.

This sudden proximity made it impossible for Sophie not to smell the lingering perfume that had rubbed off on him when Stella was near him earlier. Her expression didn’t change, but she subconsciously shoved him away hard. Her repulsion was glaringly obvious.

The atmosphere between the two of them suddenly became extremely tense. Yet, Julian was neither annoyed nor angry. He stared at her coldly. "There’s someone at the door."

Sophie’s brow twitched. She instantly understood what Julian meant. The old Mrs. Sterling wouldn’t let things go easily; she was even going to "monitor" whether they had any private nighttime activities as a married couple.

Julian cast his eyes down at her tightly clenched fists. Just now, when he grabbed her, she had barely restrained her subconscious urge to hit him.

"I’m going to take a shower."

He released Sophie, walked past her to grab his clothes, and headed straight into the bathroom.

Sophie glanced toward the door. There really were spies everywhere. Fortunately, Julian wasn’t interested either; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to stay in this room for another second.

She gave up on the idea of going to the guest room, pulled back the covers, and got into bed. They had been married for seven years anyway; they had done everything they should and shouldn’t have done. Being needlessly dramatic about sharing a bed would only bring her unnecessary distress. She ignored Julian, turned off the main lights, and slept on the very edge of the mattress.

An indeterminate amount of time passed before the bathroom door opened. The sound of footsteps was muffled by the thick carpet. Sophie instinctively opened her eyes, only to see Julian in a dark gray silk pajama shirt that wasn’t fully buttoned. As he ran his hands through his damp hair, his chest was faintly visible, but she had no desire to admire his perfectly sculpted, lean muscles.

Instead, her eyes landed on a flesh-colored scar near his shoulder and neck. Memories rushed in like a torrential flood. That year, she had rescued a kidnapped Julian. His body had been riddled with injuries, and she had helped treat most of them. Back then, Julian had a sharp, prickly temperament and was unwilling to communicate with her most of the time. Whether it was eating or applying medicine, she had to patiently and softly coax him, much like playing house, and she had enjoyed every moment of it.

Then, he left without saying goodbye. Later, when they met again, he acted completely like a stranger, as if they had never shared that experience. Her intention was never to use her grace to demand repayment. But Julian never mentioned a single word about it, acting as if it simply hadn’t happened.

Sophie fell into deep thought.

By the time she snapped back to reality, the mattress dipped. Julian had gotten into bed.