Chapter 218 Coming to Collect a Debt

Sophie Winslow actually knew this was coming.

In that emergency situation, she hadn’t wanted to delay the golden window for rescue just because of some rivalry Stella Sutton imagined they had. She had struck her with absolute clarity of mind.

So, facing Stella’s coldly mocking gaze at this moment, Sophie appeared far calmer.

She didn’t even bother looking at Julian Sterling’s expression. “Suit yourself. Call the police or sue me. If you need my ID number, you can ask your Mr. Sterling. He knows it.”

Leaving those words behind, Sophie turned and walked away.

She felt uncomfortable all over and wanted to go clean herself up. However, Sophie’s unapologetic attitude made Stella knit her brows, brewing an unspeakable anger within her.

She had lost a lot of face today—and right in front of so many mentors and top university officials. There might have even been future classmates present, people she would interact with often once she became Philip Preston’s doctoral student.

Furthermore, Sophie had indeed shown her face and made a significant contribution in front of the school leaders. The York family would probably value Sophie even more in the future.

This left her thoughts in a tangled mess.

“Julian, she doesn’t seem to want to apologize,” Stella said, taking a deep breath, her tone laced with helplessness and grievance. “I originally thought we could just let the matter rest if she apologized to me.”

Only then did Julian glance in the direction Sophie had left. “Want to go to the infirmary and apply some ice?”

His concern improved Stella’s complexion significantly. She glanced at the suit jacket Sophie had discarded. “It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore. As long as Chairman Hayes is alright, that’s the greatest blessing. It’s just a pity that I couldn’t get to interact with the Chairman more deeply. I’m afraid it will be very difficult for me to produce another good project in the short term…”

“It won’t be difficult,” Julian replied, his tone casual. He walked over and picked up the jacket, his eyes dark and profound.

Stella looked at him, her eyes questioning.

Sophie first returned to her nearby apartment. Her dress was ruined, and there was dirt on her knees. She had to clean herself up before going to the company.

As the hot water washed over her scraped skin, the pain made her tremble. Sophie let out a sharp HISS before she grew used to the stinging sensation. After stepping out, she didn’t even bother bandaging the scrapes before heading straight back to Helios.

Just as she was preparing to change into her lab coat, Peter Preston hurried over, panting. “Chairman Hayes’s condition has stabilized. My dad just called me. He said the Chairman has been following a scientific research project for the past month, and working day and night caused this. She is getting on in years, after all.”

Someone of Chairman Hayes’s age should have retired by now. But with great ability came great responsibility. The burden on her shoulders was heavy, as she had to dedicate herself to the nation’s medical field.

Sophie breathed a sigh of relief.

She was glad that she had impulsively brought that bottle of pills today. It contained a blend of several top-tier, precious medicinal herbs ground into powder, which worked wonders for this specific condition. Its efficacy was comparable to the stroke pills currently selling for over a thousand a piece in the domestic market.

Had she not brought the medicine, Chairman Hayes’s situation would have been far more critical.

“Do you know how famous you are right now?” Peter asked, finally catching his breath, grinning from ear to ear. “You’re a great hero! Who is Chairman Hayes? Calling her a pillar of the community is an understatement. With your miraculous intervention, you literally snatched the next ten years of crucial medical development back from death’s door. Word of your deeds has already spread through Kingsford University and the entire industry.”

Sophie was now an out-and-out celebrity.

“And that pill you gave Chairman Hayes—the hospital said its efficacy was extraordinary. They’ll probably ask you what kind of medicine it was, and Kingsford Medical University will likely contact you later.”

“It’s my own formula. I’ve never made it public,” Sophie replied.

“That’s perfect. They’ll probably focus heavily on this medicine moving forward. Barring any accidents, it will be officially cataloged.” Peter was in a great mood. He could practically see Sophie’s blindingly bright future.

Snatching Winnie Hayes’s life back from the brink was enough to earn the attention and commendation of the higher-ups. Coupled with her medicine and evident skill, the authorities would likely be discussing this for a while. But considering Sophie had already been exceptionally promoted to a professorship, where else could she be promoted? The higher-ups would have to ponder how to reward her.

Sophie didn’t particularly care about that. When saving someone, she didn’t have the time to overthink other things. Especially since Winnie Hayes was a great woman who had made tremendous contributions to medicine. Sophie hoped that ordinary people could all be protected by her continued work.

“Mr. Preston, you have visitors,” an assistant walked up from behind to inform him.

Sophie looked over. “Who is it?”

The assistant scratched his head. “Mr. Sterling of Sterling Corp.”

Sophie was instantly puzzled. What was Julian Sterling doing here?

Exchanging a glance with Peter, Sophie didn’t take off her lab coat and headed upstairs with him.

The uninvited guests clearly included more than just Julian; Stella Sutton was sitting serenely beside him. Whatever happy event had occurred, Stella looked noticeably more joyful. With her legs elegantly crossed, she tilted her head to whisper something intimate to Julian, her eyes curving into happy crescents.

As Sophie walked through the door, Julian finally looked over.

Having navigated the industry for so long, Peter well understood the principle of not slapping a smiling face. He offered a polite greeting, “May I ask what important matter brings Mr. Sterling here today?”

Sophie had been busy all day and hadn’t even had a sip of water. While they exchanged pleasantries, she went to the adjoining pantry to pour herself a drink. As she gripped her cup and turned around, she noticed that Julian had changed his clothes.

The suit jacket he had draped over her was gone. He had changed into a completely new outfit, inside and out. It was as if her touch had tainted it, and he had deliberately disposed of it.

His disgust was self-evident.

Sophie curled her lips into a silent, faint smirk.

“I came today to discuss a collaboration with you, Mr. Preston,” Julian said, the corners of his eyes rippling with a superficial smile that did nothing to make him seem any more approachable.

“Please go ahead, Mr. Sterling.”

“I’ll have to trouble Miss Winslow to pour me a glass of water first,” Stella suddenly said, looking toward Sophie, who was still standing in the pantry, and elegantly issuing the command.

Sophie blinked, inexplicably sensing that Stella was deliberately giving off an air of superiority, signaling a bossy, condescending attitude. She didn’t mind it, though. After all, a visitor was a guest. She brewed two cups of tea and placed them in front of them.

Julian watched her walk over. Her steps had an almost imperceptible limp, one foot falling heavier than the other—clearly because her pant leg was rubbing against her scraped knee. His gaze lingered on her faintly for two seconds before shifting away.

Seeing that Sophie really couldn’t put on any airs at Helios, Stella deduced that Sophie wasn’t exactly a core figure in the company.

She glanced at her tea. “You might not know this, Mr. Preston, but today, your company’s Sophie intentionally assaulted me.”

Sophie wasn’t surprised. Sure enough, they had come to collect a debt. She simply sat down on the single sofa opposite them, crossing her arms as she waited for Stella to continue.

Peter genuinely didn’t know, but he remained completely unbothered. He wondered if a legal wife beating a mistress even counted as a violation of public order and morals.

“What are you getting at, Miss Sutton?”

“Perhaps Sophie earned Helios some face today by saving Chairman Hayes. It’s a tremendous honor, and Helios’s status will inevitably rise with the tide. I’m sure you wouldn’t want any mishaps involving Sophie to negatively impact the company, Mr. Preston. I can understand that. Therefore, I don’t plan on pursuing the matter. Consider it a favor to you.”

Peter raised an eyebrow. “You can speak frankly, Miss Sutton.”

Stella curled her lips into a smile, radiating an air of inevitable victory. “So, Julian and I came over today to have a chat with you, Mr. Preston. I want to invest directly in Helios and become a shareholder.”