Chapter 26 She’s Actually That Wild Woman?

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: She’s Actually That Wild Woman?

Sophie Winslow was caught completely off guard. Especially since Julian Sterling’s demeanor remained entirely languid. His gaze, from eyes with slightly upturned corners, swept unhurriedly down her bare shoulders and neck, trailing over her chest where the bath towel squeezed a faint cleavage. She hadn’t dried herself completely. The warm overhead lights cast a seductive sheen over her damp skin, making it look exactly like top-quality pearls.

Her long, slender legs were extremely eye-catching. Coupled with her slightly stunned expression and the subconscious movement to cover her chest, she gave off an air of shyness. But Sophie wasn’t shy; she was purely surprised and irritated.

"How did you—"

Before she could fully voice her demand to know why he was in her room, Julian had already strode in, tearing his gaze away from her.

"When did you follow me here?" His tone held no discernible joy or anger, just a sparse question.

But Sophie caught the implication. Follow? He thought she was stalking him again?

Julian sat down on the black leather sofa. He tilted his chin up to look at her and reminded her, "This is my private suite."

It felt as if a mouthful of gravel was tightly blocking Sophie’s throat. She had been delivered right to Julian by the old madam again. Obviously, if she tried to explain that the old madam had arranged this, it would just sound like a guilty cover-up.

"I’ll change rooms right now, okay?" Sophie turned and walked over to the sofa to grab her phone. She planned to call the resort’s front desk so Julian wouldn’t think she was desperately thirsty for him, slapping her with labels like "stalker" or "throwing herself at him." Even though they weren’t completely divorced yet, she still didn’t want to give him any ammunition to mock her over something like this.

Julian didn’t move. His gaze landed on her lightly.

Sophie was undeniably gorgeous—a fact anyone would admit. Tall and leggy, standing at five foot eight, she had excellent proportions and dazzlingly fair skin. Especially during moments of deep passion, a faint pink would slowly seep out from beneath her skin; she had always been easily flustered. She would never have dared to parade around in front of him wearing only a bath towel before.

But now, things were different. Julian absently toyed with a metal lighter without striking a flame. She was calm. Her eyes no longer darted away, as if looking at a stranger she had run into on a beach full of bikinis.

Sophie didn’t notice Julian’s gaze. She had already dialed the number. "Hello, I’d like to change rooms right now. Do you have any other—"

DING-DONG.

The doorbell rang. Stella Sutton’s voice could faintly be heard from outside. "Julian, are you in there?"

Sophie hadn’t expected Stella to be here too. And she was coming to Julian’s room. Had she interrupted her husband’s secret rendezvous? She immediately looked at Julian.

He looked back up at her and suddenly asked, "Could you wait in the bathroom for a while?"

His tone was steady. It sounded so utterly natural. It was disguised as a polite, cultured request, yet he was asking her—his legal wife who still held their marriage certificate—to hide away like a mistress. Sophie wondered if she was actually the "wild woman" on the side.

"Julian? I’m coming in!" Stella continued to ring the doorbell.

Sophie didn’t know if she was just infuriated by his audacity or deliberately trying to be antagonistic as she retorted, "I’ll make room for you two. I’m leaving right now."

That meant she would inevitably come face-to-face with Stella. Being able to disgust both Stella and Julian at the same time felt like a worthwhile trade to her.

"You’re going out dressed like that?" Julian pinned her with a dark, chilling stare.

Sophie looked back at him calmly. "Are you that afraid Stella will misunderstand and think we might have done something?"

After all, her current state of undress was indeed likely to arouse suspicion.

Julian didn’t answer her obvious question. He glanced at her, then stood up and walked toward the door, dropping a casual remark. "Don’t bother changing rooms. You can stay in this suite."

He didn’t give Sophie a chance to respond. He had already opened the door and stepped out, blocking Stella’s line of sight so she couldn’t see Sophie inside.

Sophie could hear Stella laughing and chatting in high spirits in the corridor. The two of them walked away together. Julian really went to a lot of trouble just to ensure Stella’s mood wouldn’t be ruined tonight.

Sophie ran a hand through her hair, let out a soft breath, and smiled silently at the door. It was somewhat ironic. A man in love could be so incredibly thoughtful that it almost made her want to applaud. She didn’t plan on changing rooms anymore. Since Julian had given up the suite just to avoid suspicion, why should she inconvenience herself?

Sophie slept through the night. As expected, Julian never returned.

The day’s events were set to begin at ten o’clock. Ivy Hawthorne was currently on her way over. After washing up, Sophie headed out and met Ivy at the entrance of the resort’s venue. Ivy was still holding her laptop, working on a PowerPoint presentation. They had agreed to come here for fun, but she still couldn’t put her work down.

Sophie led Ivy inside, and they took their seats. Today’s antique calligraphy and paintings were partly for exhibition and partly for auction.

Just as they sat down, a staff member walked over, bowing apologetically. "I’m sorry, ladies. These seats are reserved for our VIP guests today. You two might have to sit further back."

Ivy spared a moment to look up. "Isn’t this Table 6? We’re not sitting in the wrong place."

The staff member continued, "Yes, but the table sign was placed incorrectly. You two really do have to make way..."

Sophie didn’t want to make things difficult for the staff; working here wasn’t easy for anyone. "It’s fine. We’ll sit further back."

Grumbling, Ivy stood up, hugging her laptop. "What kind of big shot is so damn demanding?"

Sophie didn’t mind this kind of thing. Every circle and environment was divided into hierarchies; it was just the rule of society.

They had just moved to their new seats when a grand commotion erupted at the side door. The auction house manager personally went to greet the arrivals, causing quite a stir. Sophie looked over and saw Julian and Stella surrounded by the crowd.

Stella had her arm linked through Julian’s. With a bright, elegant smile, she responded cordially to those greeting them. Julian led her directly to the seats Sophie and Ivy had just been shooed away from. The two of them were completely inseparable; it was no different from a public announcement of their relationship.

Stella’s gaze swept contemptuously over Sophie before she smilingly leaned her red lips close to Julian’s ear. Right in front of everyone, they whispered to each other, acting incredibly intimate. Julian listened quietly, a faint smile playing on his thin lips.

Ivy sneered. "Damn, we really should have checked our horoscopes before leaving the house. I was wondering who could be so demanding, and it turns out to be that cunning witch, Stella."

Sophie, the lawful wife, actually had to give up her seat for this tramp?! Ivy now suspected that the whole seat-changing incident was Stella’s deliberate doing—a blatant provocation aimed at Sophie.

"Take out your marriage certificate and go slap it right across her face!" Ivy felt that she hadn’t stuck enough voodoo dolls with pins for this scummy couple.

Sophie looked down at the drink menu and could only make a self-deprecating joke to comfort herself. "Then Julian would just slap the divorce certificate back in my face. We’d put on a melodramatic show of slapping each other, get caught on camera, and become internet sensations."

"Could he really be that classless?" Ivy felt like her horizons had been broadened.

She was well aware of Sophie’s bitterness. Precisely because she understood it, she felt it as if it were her own, and it infuriated her to no end.

Sophie ordered two glasses of mango juice, refusing to let this incident trouble her further.

The auction began. She only intended to see if any of her grandparents’ calligraphy and paintings would appear here. When Isaiah Sutton seized their antique shop back then, all her grandparents’ works had been resold. They might be circulating in the market.

There were many styles of antiques up for auction today, but none that caught Sophie’s fancy. She also didn’t spot any of her grandparents’ works. However, in the VIP seats in front of her, paddles were raised frequently and ostentatiously. They became the absolute center of attention, and the one who won the most bids was Stella.

Sitting not far behind, Sophie could hear their conversations with perfect clarity. Whenever she saw something she liked, Stella would look at Julian and say, "Julian, I love this one."

Julian would curl his lips in an unhurried smile. "Then bid on it."

Stella’s smile would grow even more radiant as she proudly raised her paddle to call out a price.

Ivy crossed her arms and sneered, lowering her voice. "What a scummy couple."

"Julian, this jade bracelet is beautiful too. The green is so pure; it perfectly matches your cufflinks."

"Mm. Bid on it."

Ivy continued to sneer. "Cheap skanks."

"Julian, my mom loves this porcelain vase. The starting bid is one million, which is quite high."

"Then set it at three million in one go."

Ivy sneered once more. "What a dazzling, adulterous affair."

Every time there was a sound from the front row, Ivy threw out a curse. It was like she was playing the comic foil in a comedy routine.

Sophie was speechless.