Chapter 231 Sophie Winslow Also Applied for a Ph.D.?

Chapter 231: Chapter 231: Sophie Winslow Also Applied for a Ph.D.?

She hadn’t made a fuss about it just now. Yet, out of nowhere, Stella Sutton was suddenly announcing that she was heading to her interview. Sophie Winslow couldn’t help but want to laugh. She wondered how Stella would react if she knew that the very person she had so ruthlessly tried to humiliate was going to be her interviewing professor.

Sophie wasn’t oblivious to the fact that Stella’s announcement about her Kingsford University interview was a blatant flex. Unfortunately, Stella was wasting her energy on the wrong target. Since they hadn’t agreed on the unit price, Sophie wasn’t going to push it. After all, Stella was only one of the shareholders, and Acuity would discuss the matter internally later. The second phase wouldn’t launch too soon anyway, so there was no desperate rush.

As she walked, she replied to Philip Preston’s text. "Okay, no problem."

Upon walking out, Sophie noticed that Stella hadn’t left yet. She was standing at the entrance, chatting with a few Acuity employees. Several women were looking at Stella with undisguised envy. "You and Mr. Sterling have such a wonderful relationship. You even went on a vacation together?"

Sophie turned a deaf ear to the chatter and walked a short distance away to wait for her car.

Stella caught a glimpse of Sophie out of the corner of her eye. "Yes, Julian always caters to me. As long as he’s free, he spends as much time with me as possible. Everyone and everything else takes a backseat to me."

This drew another round of awe. Then, one of the employees glanced at Stella’s phone screen. "Is that a photo of you and Mr. Sterling? Are you hugging? Or are you..."

The woman’s tone turned suggestive, prompting the others to lean in for a closer look.

"You can tell at a glance this was taken during an intimate moment!" another chimed in immediately. "That recent news circulating about Mr. Sterling these past two days... was the woman in the story actually you?"

Sophie didn’t stick around to hear the rest. She hadn’t seen this "intimate hugging photo" they were gossiping about, but it was likely real. If Stella was using it as her wallpaper, plenty of people were bound to see it. It was practically the same as publicly announcing her private romantic involvement with Julian Sterling.

It was quite funny, really. Photos of Sophie and Julian had just been exposed, and now Stella had photos of a similar caliber. But there was a fundamental difference between the two. When the media photographed Sophie and Julian, it was merely Julian’s emotionless tactic to cover up a scandal. His photo with Stella, however, was born of mutual affection.

Sophie knew exactly what Stella was trying to convey, but none of it mattered anymore. They were already divorced. It had absolutely nothing to do with her.

When the day of the interviews arrived.

Sophie had received a formal written notice regarding her role as an interviewing professor. From the moment the interviews commenced, she would officially be on duty. After the interviews concluded, the university would make a formal public announcement. She needed to spend these two days preparing, which meant setting Acuity’s affairs aside for the time being.

Sophie arrived at Kingsford University two hours early. Today was the unified interview schedule for the applicants. She first went to meet the other interviewing professors. None of them were strangers to her, and since she was the youngest—with an age gap so significant that they could easily be her parents—they all took great care of her.

Director Preston dropped by briefly. "I won’t be on the interviewing panel today, nor will I participate in the scoring or voting. For the sake of fairness, the comprehensive decision will be made by the five of you, including yourself."

Sophie already knew that Philip Preston wouldn’t be participating. It was to ensure absolute fairness; after all, there were only three spots available.

With that, Philip gave Sophie a meaningful look. "Stella Sutton is among the candidates. Are you going to be okay with that?"

Sophie suddenly understood. "Are you trying to remind me to be fair and impartial, Philip, and not let personal feelings get in the way?"

Philip covered his mouth and coughed lightly. "I’m just thinking about your future. You’ve only just taken up this post, so you have to look out for your career prospects." He didn’t want her to give others a reason to criticize her over some romantic grudge.

"Do I look like someone that immature?" Sophie muttered in dissatisfaction. Besides, she was already divorced. Why would she hold onto the past? Business was business, and personal matters were personal.

Philip felt relieved. He patted Sophie’s head. "My junior has a big heart. You’re a girl destined for great things."

Sophie was speechless.

There was still an hour left before the start. Candidates were gradually arriving at the waiting room outside—about a dozen people in total. Realizing she had forgotten her water cup, Sophie stepped out to grab it.

Meanwhile.

By the time Stella arrived at the registration point, there was still plenty of time to spare. Julian Sterling had also arrived. He was wearing an earpiece, listening in on an online meeting. Beside him, Finn Lockwood didn’t dare to interrupt. Finn had recently been ordered to return to school to "reforge" his education, so he had tagged along to join in the excitement.

"What time does it end today? Have you booked a restaurant?" Finn asked.

Stella showed no signs of nervousness. She smiled, looking quite relaxed. "Yes, my mom booked a large private room. Once this is over, we can head straight there for a celebration dinner. You should come with us later. I also invited Mr. York."

Becoming Philip Preston’s student was practically set in stone. In her mind, her interview would go off without a hitch.

Finn nodded. "York is coming over?"

"When I called him, he was running errands nearby. He mentioned that Chairman Hayes had been discharged from the hospital, so he’d drop by if he was close enough."

This fact put Stella in a great mood. At the very least, Evan York was quite supportive of her.

Finn was about to say something else when he suddenly caught sight of a tall, slender figure walking past. His smile froze. "Sophie?"

Stella instantly frowned. Even Julian, who was listening to his meeting nearby, unhurriedly lifted his eyes.

Sophie had spotted them too. However, without pausing for even a second, she continued walking with her water cup in hand.

A bizarre feeling washed over Stella. "Why would Sophie be here?" Since when could outsiders casually stroll into Kingsford University?

Finn pondered for a moment before suddenly laughing. "Do you think she found out you were applying for a PhD and secretly applied too?"

Stella’s expression cooled, revealing a subtle hint of mockery. Wasn’t that a joke? What did Sophie think Kingsford University was? Could she even dream of stepping foot into the top academic institution in the country? Even a copycat needed real talent to back it up.

"But..." Finn furrowed his brow. "Sophie really has been interacting a lot with Director Preston lately. I’ve seen them meet up multiple times. Could it be that Mr. Preston put in a good word for her privately and fast-tracked her application?"

"Director Preston isn’t that indiscriminate," Stella said coldly. Still, her gaze followed Sophie’s retreating figure. When she realized that Sophie was indeed heading straight for the registration point, her frown deepened.

"Let’s go in first," Julian casually reminded her as he ended his call and walked over.

Stella snapped back to reality. She pursed her lips. "It doesn’t matter. At most, they gave Sophie a chance, but with so many interviewing professors, there’s no guarantee she’ll pass."

In fact, it was absolutely impossible.

Finn shrugged. "True. Don’t worry about it. It’s inevitable that you’ll eliminate her."

Hearing this, Stella’s expression finally softened, and she even let out a soft chuckle. "I can only do my best."

Come to think of it, defeating Sophie on the same playing field would serve as a good wake-up call for her.

"Julian, I’m heading in now. Why don’t you guys go grab a coffee and wait for me? We’ll have lunch together at noon." Stella’s mood had improved significantly. Before walking into the waiting room, she turned back and spoke to Julian in a gentle voice.

Julian glanced at her and gave a faint, subtle smile. "Okay."