Chapter 32 Sophie Winslow Became a Mistress!

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Sophie Winslow Became a Mistress!

Sophie Winslow looked at Julian Sterling’s calm, almost ruthless eyes.

Even though the coat draped over her was warm, she couldn’t stop the icy chill seeping into her bones.

"You want me to be Stella Sutton’s human shield and play the part of a loving couple with you?"

If she went back, would Stella be spared from the Old Madam’s trouble-making?

Julian didn’t deny it. "Isn’t family harmony what you always wanted? Does the reason behind it really matter?"

"I won’t be a stepping stone or a tool for your relationship with Stella. I’m not going back," Sophie said, trying hard to keep her tone steady. She pulled his coat off and threw it back into his arms, then turned and walked into the hotel.

Expecting her to sacrifice herself to satisfy his desire to protect Stella was impossible.

Julian turned slightly, watching Sophie’s retreating figure. She had much more of a temper than before. This was the first time she had ever openly challenged him like this. However, he didn’t take it to heart. He knew she would eventually go back.

Early the next morning, Sophie returned to Kingsford.

The Warm Jade Peace Lock she brought back from Crimson Ridge Manor was immediately shipped to Seabourne. Fleecing Julian for a staggering one hundred million to get it made her feel immensely satisfied.

As for the Sterling family banquet, she genuinely had no intention of attending. The Old Madam already knew she was going to divorce Julian, so there was no need to put on an act. If Julian was worried about Stella being given a hard time, that was his problem to solve.

At first, Sophie’s lower back only ached from the impact of her fall, but the pain soon began to spread. She had no choice but to rest at home for a day, taking the opportunity to apply a set of acupuncture needles on herself to reduce the swelling and dissipate the bruising.

The following day, Sophie paid another visit to Calyx.

The R&D center at Helios had been very busy lately. Calyx was interested in advancing their collaboration with Helios to jointly develop a new specific drug. Sophie thought this was a great opportunity; aside from a few top-tier hospitals, Calyx was the most cutting-edge private hospital in the country. If the research yielded results, Calyx’s reputation would serve as the most powerful endorsement for the drug.

That afternoon, after collecting the data, Sophie prepared to head back to Helios. As she passed by a few young nurses she usually got along with, she noticed their strange expressions as they deliberately kept their distance.

Confused, Sophie was about to go over and ask what was wrong when Peter Preston hurried over. He pulled her aside and whispered, "Something happened. You’ve been doxxed."

"Me?" Sophie asked in bewilderment.

Peter gave her a brief rundown of the situation brewing online.

"When you went to Crimson Ridge Manor and had that conflict with Stella Sutton, someone took photos from deceptive angles and posted them on social media. They claimed you intentionally hurt Stella, and..." Peter’s eyes turned cold. "They said you’re a mistress trying to seduce her boyfriend and steal Stella’s place."

Meanwhile, Julian’s identity and face hadn’t been exposed at all. After all, no one dared to leak Julian Sterling’s personal information. He was perfectly hidden from the crossfire!

Peter was so furious he almost laughed. The absolute audacity to twist the truth like this!

"Where’s the post?" Sophie frowned.

Peter shook his head. "It was deleted after brewing for half an hour."

They were probably afraid Sophie would sue for defamation. However, half an hour was more than enough for the rumor to gain traction. Stella was a somewhat famous celebrity doctor with over a million followers on social media, so many people caught wind of the incident through trending hashtags.

The timing was impeccable. It ensured the rumor of Sophie being a homewrecker spread far and wide, but it was deleted fast enough to leave her with no evidence to sue.

Sophie unlocked her phone and tried to search for the post. She couldn’t find it, but she did discover that her personal information had been leaked. There were numerous friend requests on WhatsApp, and the request messages were filled with venomous, vile abuse.

"You shameless tramp! Aren’t you afraid of karma catching up to you for being a mistress?"

"Are you so desperate for a man that you have to prey on someone else’s boyfriend? We won’t let our Stella be bullied by the likes of you!"

"Get lost, or your whole family will die a horrible death, and your future kids will be cursed!"

Sophie could have tolerated the insults aimed at her. But seeing curses that dragged Lydia into it made her blood boil. Her hands shook as she gripped the phone.

How could ordinary netizens get her WhatsApp ID? Unless someone intentionally leaked it, it would be absolutely impossible to dig up!

Clenching her fists, Sophie said, "I’m going to wash my face."

She needed to calm down and compose herself before dealing with this.

Peter looked at her with concern. "Alright."

In the restroom, Sophie splashed freezing water onto her face. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, her face was pale, but her eyes were ice-cold.

She used to think that since they were getting divorced soon, there was no need to offend Julian or the Sterling family by making a huge scene. But now, she couldn’t tolerate it anymore. Grabbing a paper towel, she walked out.

Just as she reached the door, she heard voices from outside.

"You really can’t judge a book by its cover. She always seemed so nice. I never expected her morals to be in the gutter."

Another voice sounded even more indignant. "Tell me about it! I’ve seen the woman from the photo. She came to our hospital with her husband and child. I even told Sophie that day how happy they looked. Who would have thought Sophie would set her sights on someone else’s good husband? Disgusting!"

"Really? Is she a serial homewrecker or something? Just swooping in and stealing whatever catches her eye?"

"That pretty lady is so pitiful. But I bet her husband completely ignored Sophie; otherwise, why would Sophie intentionally push the actual girlfriend? She probably went crazy with jealousy after failing to steal him!"

Sophie’s steps faltered for a second, but she walked straight out anyway.

The nurses outside the door immediately looked embarrassed when they saw her. Yet, feeling justified in their gossip, they didn’t say a word and quickly scurried away.

Taking a deep breath, Sophie left the hospital with Peter.

"How do you plan to handle this?" Peter asked, his expression filled with heartache as he looked at Sophie’s pale side profile.

Sophie turned her head to look at the snowflakes drifting down from the sky. "She’s the one without a marriage certificate, not me."

Peter’s expression shifted. "You mean..."

Sophie stepped into the car. "Although proving my innocence is draining, a bottom line is a bottom line. She’s emboldened by his favoritism, but I’m not Julian Sterling. I won’t indulge her."

She decided to make a trip back to the old manor.

Since Stella wanted to act so provocatively, Sophie didn’t mind ripping off her ugly mask. The marriage certificate was kept at the old manor. If she slapped it out in the open and exposed Stella’s relationship with the Sterling family, the one drowning in infamy would be someone else entirely.

It was snowing, making the roads treacherous. They even passed a few cars that had skidded into accidents. Eventually, Sophie arrived safely at the Sterling family’s old manor and headed straight for the courtyard she shared with Julian.

She remembered storing the marriage certificate in the cabinet. However, after turning the place upside down, she couldn’t find it.

Surprised, she was just trying to figure out where it could be when footsteps approached the door.