Chapter 204 Stella Sutton’s High-Profile Arrival at the Sterling Family?!

Chapter 204: Chapter 204: Stella Sutton’s High-Profile Arrival at the Sterling Family?!

Sophie didn’t know much about this medical institution.

Just as Peter Preston had said, it was newly opened and hadn’t built up much of a reputation or influence. Compared to Mercywell, its overall impact and the promotional boost it could give their products were vastly inferior. Even if they were willing to invest heavily in equipment, the domestic promotional power they needed would still fall short.

Mercywell, which Julian Sterling had snatched for Stella Sutton, was already a top-tier resource.

Sophie glanced at the business card. "It really is a brush-off." It wasn’t that the institution was bad; it was just that, by comparison, it looked pitiful.

"What do you think?" Peter asked.

Sophie sat down, picked up the business card, and flicked it lightly. "Since my ex-husband is playing the good Samaritan, I’d be a fool to reject the resources he’s handing over. I’m not trying to prove a point by struggling to survive without his help. I want money—lots of it."

She wanted a lot of money. A lot of profit. And she wanted power—to build her fortress little by little until she no longer feared the oppression of the Sterling family. To let Lydia stand in the light.

Peter looked surprised for a moment before saying, "You’ve grown up." The most important thing adults needed to learn was how to weigh the pros and cons.

Sophie immediately began reaching out to the contact. Right now, Helios had lost several partners to competitors. If she didn’t seize this current opportunity, falling behind schedule would negatively impact the project. She had to consider the big picture.

To Sophie’s surprise, this institution was incredibly generous. Moreover, they highly valued and admired her tumor surgery robot, which boasted a fully independent technological chain and the strongest patent barriers. They signed a contract on the spot: once the product launched, they would pre-order fifteen units.

After finalizing the contract and heading downstairs, Sophie immediately called Peter to tell him the news.

Peter was astounded. "Fifteen units?"

A large, top-tier hospital would introduce a maximum of five such high-precision surgical robots. After all, the price was exorbitant. The top foreign models could cost up to a hundred million, while existing domestic products were around sixteen million. Hers was a pioneering new technology in the country, achieving a standard that could rival foreign counterparts. Even as a self-developed product, the price was tightly controlled at around twenty-five million. Compared to the prices of existing domestic products, it was significantly more expensive. But she was benchmarking against top-tier foreign technology.

Because of the price tag, her initial promotion would be relatively difficult. She had never expected this. This institution had directly ordered fifteen units. It was absolutely shocking.

"Their exact words were that they would deploy five units for use in their Kingsford facility, and export the rest to their headquarters hospital. We’ve opened up the overseas market, too." Sophie’s cheeks were slightly flushed, unable to hide her excitement.

What an unexpected triumph! Fifteen units—this order volume was an explosive success! And it turned out that this institution’s headquarters hospital was a world-renowned facility, a fact they had kept completely under wraps.

"I knew this place had potential, but I didn’t expect them to be this formidable. After all, they kept a very low profile when entering the domestic market. Their background was hard to investigate," Peter sighed in amazement. "Julian really misjudged this one."

After all, no one would bother investigating such an unknown, newly established institution. Julian certainly wouldn’t.

Sophie was in a fantastic mood. After ending the call, she headed straight to the dessert shop across the street to buy a small cake. Today was worth celebrating.

However, just as she pushed the door open and walked in, she noticed a certain spot in the shop. Julian and Stella were sitting together on a sofa, with Finn Lockwood across from them. They were chatting animatedly about something.

Sophie averted her gaze, went straight to pick out her cake, and paid. She left without hesitation. It was as if she hadn’t seen them at all.

Stella had seen Sophie. She took a sip of her latte. "I guess Sophie is in a bad mood right now. She must still be brooding over the Mercywell situation."

Julian didn’t even bat an eyelid, simply scrolling through the tablet in his hands.

Finn tilted his head. "If she had secured Union Medical, it would have been a major achievement at Helios and cemented her position. But the opportunity went to you, and you also signed three units with Mercywell. Naturally, she’s unhappy. Plus, Julian just picked some random institution to brush her off. It’s no different than tossing her your leftovers."

Stella couldn’t help but chuckle softly. "Helios is still quite capable."

But that capability had nothing to do with Sophie. As for that institution, she hadn’t even noticed its name. It had absolutely no presence. Small institutions had to pinch every penny. They wouldn’t necessarily buy even a single robot from Helios—it wasn’t like they had money to burn.

"Julian, what was the name of that institution?" Finn asked.

Julian browsed the political news on his screen, his expression unchanging. "I don’t remember."

Stella laughed. "Julian meets so many people every day and has so many social engagements. People shove business cards at him all the time, and he can’t match them all to faces. He just happened to have this one, so he gave it to Sophie."

Finn thought about it and agreed. It was the perfect way to brush off her badgering. It would have been terrible if she had ruined Stella’s contract with Union Medical.

Having settled things with the institution, the Calyx side required even less worry. They would sign a separate contract later on.

While driving back to Helios, Sophie stopped at a traffic light and happened to see an advertisement pop up on the massive screen across the street. It was for Stella’s project, along with a solo profile introducing her.

Stella was already a star physician, frequently appearing on television. With her project now in full swing, the public discussion surrounding her remained at an all-time high. If measured by celebrity standards, Stella had truly become "famous" recently. Praise showered down on her. She had even been crowned a genius in smart medical therapeutics. And all this glory and honor were the result of Julian’s silent support and backing. Stella was enveloped in love.

Sophie watched quietly for a second, then looked away and smoothly drove through the intersection.

The weekend arrived.

Sophie originally planned to visit Lydia, but she received a call from the Sterling family’s ancestral residence. It was Old Mrs. Sterling’s landline number. Sophie stared at the screen for two seconds before answering. After all, the old madam still had leverage over her.

"Sophie, come home today. It’s the family’s annual ceremony to air the family records and honor the ancestors. Come back and attend." The old madam’s tone remained affectionate, but it left no room for negotiation.

Sophie checked the date. In previous years, on this major day for the Sterlings, she had always gone early to help out. This year, she had completely forgotten about it, so the old madam had taken the initiative to call. She weighed the pros and cons. In truth, she really should make a trip there. She wanted to go today and, ideally, get her divorce certificate back. This might be the perfect opportunity.

Sophie agreed. "Alright."

The old madam hung up, satisfied.

Sophie didn’t rush to leave. The day’s procedures were bound to be tedious. The Sterling family mandated that all family members must attend unless there were exceptional circumstances. But she had already removed herself from the position of the Sterling family’s daughter-in-law, so there was no need for her to hurry over and busy herself.

Taking her time to get ready, Sophie didn’t head out until the afternoon.

Prominent families always placed great importance on such days, believing it concerned the family’s honor. The servants were bustling about.

As Sophie walked through the door, Old Mrs. Sterling waved at her. "You’re back. Come, chat with Grandma for a bit."

Just as Sophie was about to walk over, she heard a servant behind her say, "Mr. Sterling is back. And... Miss Sutton is here too."

Sophie’s heart gave a violent tug. She turned to look and saw Stella and Julian walking in side by side. Sophie’s expression shifted slightly. On a day like today... what did it mean to invite Stella here?