Chapter 148 A Long History of Cuckoldry

Chapter 148: Chapter 148: A Long History of Cuckoldry

The medical summit was scheduled to take place at one of the more prestigious hotels in Kingsford. Numerous leading experts in both traditional Chinese and Western medicine—figures usually only seen in news reports—were expected to attend. Since Helios had received an invitation, Peter Preston picked up Sophie Winslow in the morning, and the two headed there together.

Sophie hadn’t met these top experts before. Having spent the past few years working at the grassroots level, she had minimal contact with industry insiders. Hector Caldwell was the sole exception, being both her mentor and a father figure to her. Consequently, she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous at the prospect of suddenly interacting with so many senior figures.

Peter noticed her apprehension. Turning his head, he teased, "Does our associate professor really need to be nervous? Your academic standing isn’t exactly low, you know."

Sophie shot him a quiet, sideways glance. "Is that even the same thing? Tell me your heart doesn’t skip a beat when you run into the dean of discipline."

Standing before these seasoned veterans, she was nothing more than a green sprout. Raw talent aside, her experience and mindset simply weren’t on the same level.

Knowing Sophie’s personality, Peter simply dragged her inside. "We’re already here, so let’s go show our faces. You’ll be dealing with them often from now on, so don’t show any weakness. These so-called seniors aren’t just here to take care of the younger generation—you have to hold your ground against them. Otherwise, some of them can’t stand seeing young people surpass them. Not everyone is like Mr. Caldwell."

In their circle, mentorship and support were often merely exchanges of benefits. It was solely thanks to Sophie’s genuine talent that she could stand in this room today. Anyone else would have to rely entirely on their backers and connections.

Because Peter was Philip Preston’s son, quite a few people were willing to give him face, coming over one after another to greet him. Peter generously brought Sophie forward, formally introducing her. "This is our chief at Helios—"

"Mr. Sterling?"

Before Peter could finish, someone nearby spoke up in surprise, cutting off his introduction.

The crowd clearly had no interest in an unfamiliar face like Sophie. After exchanging warm greetings with Peter, they didn’t spare her a second glance, their attention immediately caught by Julian Sterling, who was walking their way.

Sophie wasn’t surprised by their attitude. Everyone here was arrogant and proud; they had no time or patience to get to know a "nobody." She looked over. Julian stood out conspicuously in the crowd, head and shoulders above the rest, exuding an air of noble detachment. Beside him, Stella Sutton bathed in his reflected glory, openly earning an abundance of curiosity and attention.

To Sophie’s surprise, Julian and his companion walked straight toward them. His mere arrival shifted the entire focal point of the room. The people who previously had the patience to listen to Peter introduce her immediately defected. Faces plastered with eager smiles, they rushed over to exchange pleasantries with Julian, casually asking about Stella along the way, "And who might this be?"

Julian didn’t even seem to see Sophie. "Stella Sutton. Her background is in pharmaceuticals, and she’s recently been working in AI healthcare."

That one brief sentence instantly pushed Stella into the limelight, earning her massive amounts of attention and interest. Stella maintained a flawless smile, shaking hands with the industry insiders one by one. "If the opportunity arises in the future, I hope to have the honor of working with you all."

Peter’s expression inevitably darkened. How could he not know what was happening? Julian was blatantly helping Stella steal away Sophie’s potential network! He was deliberately leaving Sophie out in the cold, not caring in the slightest if she felt humiliated.

Sophie was long accustomed to her former husband’s blatant favoritism—the kind of dull-blade torture that didn’t kill but still hurt. She also understood exactly why someone of Julian’s status would attend an event like this today. It was purely to pave the way for Stella, expand her network, and build a solid foundation and reputation for her project.

"Miss Sutton and Mr. Sterling truly make a handsome couple; it’s a joy just to look at you both. Are you two dating? How long have you known each other?" an older senior couldn’t help but ask curiously.

Stella didn’t directly address the dating question. Instead, she offered a sweet, coy smile—the kind characteristic of the honeymoon phase of a romance. "Julian and I have known each other for several years now. We’ve always gotten along wonderfully."

Sophie could already perfectly translate Stella’s underlying message: they had been dating for years, their relationship was incredibly stable, and she was the future Mrs. Sterling, so everyone had better weigh their attitudes carefully when dealing with her.

"What are you thinking about?" Peter asked in a low voice, afraid she was upset.

Sophie withdrew her gaze and replied quite seriously, "I’m just thinking that this metaphorical pair of cuckold’s horns I’ve been wearing has such a long history, it could be hung in a museum as a shoddy antique—notable only for its age and lacking any actual quality."

Peter was left completely speechless. Sometimes, he truly admired Sophie’s self-deprecating, deadpan humor.

When Finn Lockwood came over, he happened to see Sophie standing off to the side, staring intently at Julian and Stella without knowing enough to keep her distance and avoid suspicion. He recalled what his grandfather had told him. Sophie was trying to fraudulently claim credit. She wanted to steal the gratitude the Lockwood family owed Stella. It was far too greedy and shameless!

He scoffed and walked over, remarking pointedly, "Some things belong strictly to their rightful owners, whether it’s a person or the glory of an achievement. You can’t just steal them, no matter how much you want to."

He didn’t explicitly specify what he was referring to, but his words easily reached Julian and Stella, who were standing not too far away.

Only then did Julian seem to notice that Sophie was there too, glancing at her with casual indifference.

Stella, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow. She knew that Finn was defending her. He was implying that Sophie’s morals didn’t match her ambitions. Even more so, he was stating that Sophie had no right to delude herself into comparing herself to Stella, let alone compete against her.