Chapter 241: Carrying Sophie Winslow Away

Chapter 241: Chapter 241: Carrying Sophie Winslow Away

Meeting Julian Sterling’s gaze now sent a chill straight down Charles Sterling’s spine. However, when it came to Stella Sutton, there was no way he was going to just swallow this anger and let it go!

Without looking back, let alone checking to see if Sophie Winslow had been hurt, Julian said coldly to Charles, "Get out right now. Don’t embarrass yourself here."

Charles glared at Sophie with gritted teeth, but he still got up. After all, this was the Hawthorne family’s turf. If he really kept making a scene, his grandfather—who was currently abroad—would never let him off the hook.

Sophie watched as Julian walked back to Stella’s side. He said something to her, and Stella clung to his cuff with a look of utter reliance.

By the time Adrian Hawthorne received the news and hurried across two banquet halls, he saw Sophie frowning slightly. She was leaning against the wall with one hand, her injured foot lifted behind her, while she gently massaged it with her other hand. He noticed the redness around her ankle. Catching a glimpse of Julian from the corner of his eye—who was protectively preparing to lead Stella away—Adrian quickly strode over and swept Sophie up into his arms.

Sophie was startled.

"I’ll take you somewhere to sit down and get that looked at," Adrian said.

Not wanting to cause a scene and struggle in front of so many guests, Sophie could only thank him.

Carrying Sophie, Adrian brushed past Julian, who was guarding Stella. Julian’s eyes remained completely cold from start to finish. He made no attempt to stop them, walking past without even a sideways glance, acting as if Sophie truly had nothing to do with him anymore.

Adrian suppressed the commotion in the side hall with the utmost speed, preventing the incident from spreading to the wider party. Julian left, taking Stella and the troublemaking Charles with him.

After bringing Sophie to a sofa, Adrian dropped to one knee in front of her. He took hold of her slightly sprained ankle and gently probed it. "It’s not too serious, but it needs an ice pack. Wait here for a moment."

Although Sophie wanted to tell him it wasn’t necessary, Adrian had already gotten up to prepare it. She decided not to say anything more.

Instead, she fell into deep thought about Charles. Now that he was out of prison, the situation had clearly become much more complicated. Charles was a rich playboy born into a top-tier prominent family, and as his parents’ only son, Barbara Coleman and her husband had spoiled him unconditionally since childhood. As a result, Charles acted without any regard for consequences. When he went off the rails, he was impossible to control; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been sent to prison in the first place. Unless Julian decisively married Stella, Charles would continue to cause endless trouble. The Sterling family... was probably going to descend into pure chaos.

Sophie’s thoughts were interrupted by Finn Lockwood’s voice.

He walked over, his expression somewhat grim. "Can we talk?"

Sophie looked up at him.

"I don’t know how you managed to become a professor at Kingsford University," Finn said, "but my grandfather really admires you. I’d like to ask you to come to the Lockwood family home with me when you have time, just to meet him."

When his grandfather heard the news about Sophie earlier, he had seemed thrilled, full of endless praise. Finn knew Master Lockwood definitely wanted to meet her. If he brought Sophie over, the punishment his grandfather had planned for his recent investment failure would likely be waived. If he actually got exiled to a remote branch for over a year, his uncles would completely oust him from the main company.

Sophie knew Master Lockwood was only happy because he realized it was her. In truth, she did plan to visit the old man, but she would never do it through Finn, nor would she ever put in a good word for him. She merely looked at him calmly. "What makes you think you have any standing with me to ask for favors?"

Finn froze, looking utterly stunned.

Unwilling to waste any more words on him, Sophie looked away, turning her gaze toward the direction Adrian had gone.

Finn had anticipated she might have a bad attitude, but he was still infuriated. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Even if you won’t do me this favor, you still have to deal with this Sterling family mess, right? Why don’t you go back and explain to Charles that your relationship with Julian is stable? Clear things up for Stella, and won’t there be peace for everyone?"

Even if it couldn’t solve the problem completely, it would at least stabilize the situation for the time being.

Sophie truly marveled at the bizarre diversity of human stupidity once again. She gave a sarcastic laugh. "Why don’t you go tell him instead? Tell him that you’re actually Stella’s secret lover, and Julian is just taking the blame for you. To maintain world peace, you’re willing to give Stella back to Charles. Wouldn’t that be much better?"

Finn’s face darkened. He was so enraged by Sophie’s words—which didn’t contain a single swear word—that his blood boiled.

Sophie ignored him. Lifting her injured foot, she hopped a little further away. She was afraid that stupidity might be highly contagious.

The incident in the side hall hadn’t escalated into a major scene. The government officials were arriving one after another, but they were all in the front hall, entirely unaffected by the drama. As the second main character of today’s event, many people flocked over upon hearing the news. They approached Sophie one after another to greet her, all eager to meet the exceptional professor who had broken conventions in a way rarely seen over the years.

After entertaining a couple rounds of guests, Sophie told Adrian she was leaving early due to her ankle injury. She had already fulfilled all her social obligations and given the Hawthorne family enough face; the evening banquet had been hosted with great success.

Adrian offered to see her out.

Sophie declined. "Today is also the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Sterling family’s new Guihe venture, so you can’t leave. I’ll head back with Ivy."

Adrian didn’t insist. After saying goodbye to Simon Garrison, Sophie took her leave.

Adrian watched Sophie walk away.

When Simon came over, he noticed Adrian’s gaze. Stepping up beside him, Simon said, "Forget about Lydia’s mother."

Adrian looked over at him impassively.

"When you brought the child back," Simon continued, "you couldn’t reveal who the birth mother was. You also chose to raise Lydia outside the main house and stopped the Hawthorne family from getting too involved. Wasn’t that because you wanted to leave some leeway, just in case Lydia’s mother ever came back and wanted the child?"

If the Hawthorne family had been fully involved in Lydia’s upbringing, they certainly wouldn’t have been willing to hand the child over to the mother. Adrian had clearly considered this, drawing a clear line in the sand to keep the family at bay.

Adrian didn’t bother to explain himself.

"That Sophie girl is truly exceptional," Simon added. "To have achieved so much at twenty-seven—her future is immeasurable." He patted Adrian’s shoulder. "The Sterling family really does have a sharp eye, picking a daughter-in-law who commands so much respect. But it’s obvious that Mr. Sterling and Sophie are completely estranged now. Their relationship has definitely reached a dead end. Fighting for her at a time like this isn’t shameless; it’s just natural selection."

People like them didn’t actually care whether someone had been married before. That was the least important detail. Otherwise, headhunters wouldn’t exist in the business world—everyone knew you had to fight for the absolute best.

Adrian didn’t tell Simon that Sophie was, in fact, Lydia’s mother. He simply accepted Simon’s admiration for her in silence. "I know."

After making sure Lydia was settled in, Sophie returned to her apartment. Just in case, she blocked all the phone numbers from the Sterling family’s old estate. This way, she wouldn’t be disturbed by them while the family descended into turmoil over Charles’s release from prison.