Chapter 191 She Has the Right to Tell Her to Get Lost!

Chapter 191: Chapter 191: She Has the Right to Tell Her to Get Lost!

She almost wanted to thank Stella Sutton. Had the woman not fallen ill, Julian Sterling wouldn’t have stormed out so dramatically, slamming the door behind him. Sophie would have been trapped here all night, suffering through an agonizing ordeal.

It was better this way.

As for what the rest of the Sterling family thought of her, she couldn’t care less.

Sophie Winslow knew Julian would be occupied tonight. Since she was close to their marital home, she simply drove there instead. She slept soundly, enjoying a dreamless night.

For the next two days, Sophie and Julian didn’t see each other.

They didn’t exchange a single message, either.

It was as if their veiled argument that night had been nothing but a fleeting illusion, just like the supposed "miscarriage" incident at the Sterling family’s ancestral estate.

Everything seemed perfectly tranquil.

Sophie had a mountain of work on her plate. Now that she had acquired Longview, she had to juggle responsibilities on both fronts, stepping in to manage Longview’s affairs whenever necessary.

Mr. Thorne reported to her. "Ms. Winslow, Miss Sutton has added more personnel to her team. She claims to be integrating new features into her project. Beyond basic patient triage, she wants her robot to enter the operating room as an auxiliary machine for major surgeries. This will likely require significantly more resource support."

Sophie immediately caught the underlying issue. "Did she approach you directly?"

Mr. Thorne knew exactly what she was asking. He felt that the dynamic between the two women was like a taut rubber band—the moment it snapped, the only ones who would get hurt were the subordinate bystanders caught in the middle.

"Yes... Miss Sutton asked me to sign off on the approval directly."

That was putting it mildly.

Stella Sutton had sought him out multiple times already. Her project was at a critical juncture; beyond just financial backing, it required Longview to lay down and facilitate various resource channels.

It was going to be a time-consuming and labor-intensive process for the company.

It absolutely required the final say of the top boss.

Yet, Stella purposefully bypassed Sophie entirely, treating her as if she didn’t even exist.

Her arrogant attitude was glaringly obvious, leaving Mr. Thorne awkwardly caught in the middle. Sophie understood Stella’s mindset perfectly: she believed that as long as she didn’t communicate with Sophie or seek her approval, she wouldn’t be submitting to her.

The woman clearly still thought Longview was Julian Sterling’s kingdom.

Sophie let out a silent chuckle. "If you think it’s appropriate, approve it. If her project yields results, it will only benefit Longview. At the end of the day, it makes money for the company. Use your best judgment."

Sophie wasn’t going to bicker with Stella over such petty details.

She didn’t care what kind of airs the woman put on, as long as it brought in revenue.

After this project was completed, Sophie would send her packing right back to where she came from anyway.

But for now, while the project was ongoing, she would honor the spirit of the contract.

Mr. Thorne quickly agreed. "Understood, Ms. Winslow."

She truly was Mrs. Sterling; her perspective and magnanimity were on another level.

If he were in Sophie’s shoes, he might have just fired Stella on the spot and kicked her off the team, regardless of whether people gossiped about him mixing personal vendettas with business. Very few people could remain as strictly professional as Ms. Winslow.

The truth was, Sophie simply didn’t have the time to squabble with Stella over workplace hierarchy and proper protocol.

Helios’s own surgical robots were about to begin running their empirical data.

She still had to manage the upcoming market teaser campaigns. She had more than enough to keep her busy.

A few days later, while conducting a smart-medical field survey at a hospital near Longview, Sophie decided to drop by the office.

Just as she reached the executive floor, the doors of the adjacent elevator chimed open at the same time. Stella Sutton stepped out. The moment Stella turned and saw Sophie, she merely cast a frigid glance in her direction before turning to the executive secretary. "Where is Mr. Thorne?"

She completely ignored Sophie, treating her as if she were thin air.

The secretary glanced awkwardly at Sophie. "Mr. Thorne just wrapped up a meeting..."

Inwardly, the secretary was reeling in shock. Just how much audacity did Stella Sutton have to treat the owner of Longview like she didn’t exist?

At that exact moment, Mr. Thorne emerged from the conference room. Catching sight of Sophie, he immediately hurried over to greet her. "Ms. Winslow, you’re here."

Sophie nodded.

Stella frowned. She found Mr. Thorne to be incredibly short-sighted for greeting Sophie first.

Refusing to be sidelined, she abruptly cut in. "Mr. Thorne, regarding the promotional campaign the R&D team wants to launch, I want to secure ad spaces in several prime locations. Can we discuss this now?"

Longview’s resources in this area were indeed industry-leading.

They could provide top-tier promotional support.

Mr. Thorne couldn’t help but look at Sophie.

The actual owner of the company was standing right in front of him.

It wasn’t his place to overstep and make that call.

Stella was blatantly disrespecting her boss in public.

Making it unmistakably clear that she had zero regard for Sophie’s authority.

It was a silent but aggressive provocation.

The surrounding staff in the executive office exchanged covert glances, their expressions a mix of shock and intrigue.

Even Sophie hadn’t expected Stella to pull a stunt like this in public.

She knew exactly where it came from, of course. Julian Sterling’s endless indulgence had given Stella an absolute sense of invulnerability, breeding an inappropriate arrogance. She was actually trying to establish dominance over her own boss.

It had completely blinded the woman to her actual status and position.

A faint, icy smile touched the corners of Sophie’s lips. "If you insist on walking around with your nose so high up in the air that you can’t see who’s standing right in front of you, I’d be happy to cure you of that affliction."

"Mr. Thorne, have HR draft a termination letter."

She didn’t waste a single breath on pleasantries, her voice calm and remarkably steady.

Gasps rippled through the office as several employees stared at Sophie in utter astonishment.

Everyone knew exactly who had personally placed Stella Sutton in this company, yet right now...

Even Stella’s expression faltered. She glared at Sophie. "Sophie, aren’t you letting your personal emotions cloud your judgment?"

If Julian hadn’t given Longview to Sophie just to smooth over their recent conflict, this woman wouldn’t even have the opportunity to flaunt her authority right now!

Sophie gave a light chuckle. "Oh, so you can see me now? A miraculous cure for your sudden blindness?"

Stella’s face turned an ugly shade of pale.

Sophie didn’t give her a second to recover. The fleeting amusement vanished from her eyes. "I am giving you a choice. You can either take your termination letter right now at this critical juncture of your project, or you can start acting like a proper employee. Follow company protocol, learn your place, and recognize the fact that you do not have independent decision-making authority."

The gazes of several onlookers instantly filled with a profound new respect for Sophie.

Their Ms. Winslow was an absolute badass!

They all heard the unspoken message loud and clear.

Simply put: Sophie had every right to tell Stella Sutton to get out.

Stella understood the threat perfectly, her lips pressing into a thin, white line. She hadn’t expected Sophie to be so ruthless and domineering.

To humiliate her in front of so many people...

This was a public slap to the face!

Her expression turned glacial, consumed by a surge of humiliation and fury.

Sophie genuinely possessed the authority to kick her out, but her project was in its most critical phase. With the promotional launch just on the horizon, she absolutely could not leave. If she was fired now, the project would no longer have anything to do with her. Sophie was deliberately backing her into a corner.

How utterly petty and vindictive!

Sophie knew exactly how to handle people like Stella—give them a taste of their own medicine. Dismissing the woman entirely, she turned back to Mr. Thorne.

"Let’s discuss this in my office. It seems Miss Sutton’s rationality has finally returned to her brain. We’ll leave her here to cool off."

Mr. Thorne sighed inwardly.

He cast a brief glance at Stella’s ugly expression before dutifully following Sophie.

He couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless. Longview now belonged entirely to Mrs. Sterling, and Mr. Sterling had washed his hands of its operations. Stella still trying to throw her weight around was a massive miscalculation on her part.

Stella stared daggers at Sophie’s retreating back, her lips clamped tight.

Finally, she let out a bitter sneer, spun on her heel, and headed back to the elevators.

Sophie didn’t dwell on the incident.

Longview continued to provide the necessary resources for the project, securing several prime advertising spots. The promotional campaign went live shortly after and proved to be a resounding success, generating massive buzz. Sophie was pleased with the outcome; regardless of personal feelings, she wanted every project under the Longview umbrella to succeed.

However, Sophie didn’t expect the matter to escalate further.

A few days later, Mr. Thorne called her in a panic. "Ms. Winslow, something’s happened..."

Sophie immediately rushed over to Longview.

The moment she pushed open the door to the office, she saw Julian Sterling sitting inside.

It was the first time she had seen him since their unpleasant parting at the ancestral estate.