Chapter 34 I’m Not That Obsessed With Your Body

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: I’m Not That Obsessed With Your Body

The sharp slap was truly deafening.

Madam Sterling looked at Sophie in astonishment. Julian also glanced down at his arm, now reddened from the strike. It was evident just how much force Sophie had used.

The faint, cloying sweetness lingering in his scent made Sophie’s stomach churn. Her expression remained perfectly normal as she said, "I don’t know where you went, but you had some dirt on you. I just dusted it off for you."

Stella was dirty. And so was he.

Julian’s deep-set eyes darkened, but he showed no sign of anger. He slowly retracted his arm and looked at the old lady. "Grandma, do you have any ointment?"

Madam Sterling snapped back to reality. "Miller, go get some for Julian."

Sophie turned on her heel and headed outside. Naturally, she wasn’t going to mention tonight’s negotiation with Madam Sterling to Julian. Though she couldn’t publicly expose Stella Sutton for two-timing, at the very least, the Sterling family had sowed their own seeds. They had better not regret the consequences they’d reap in the future.

Stepping into the corridor, Sophie looked down at the bag resting in the crook of her arm. Inside was Madam Sterling’s agreement—the one stipulating that Sophie would never enter the Sterling family’s doors again after the divorce. She used to think Madam Sterling treated her well, but now she understood that in the face of family interests, any affection could be pushed aside.

Glancing back at the brightly lit mansion, Sophie pondered how to make her getaway.

Footsteps sounded from behind. Sophie looked up to see Julian approaching. His towering height gave him an oppressive presence, especially when he looked down at someone. His deep, dark eyes seemed covered by a layer of unthawable ice, and Sophie could practically read his mind.

"I didn’t come back today for..." you. Not long ago, she had sworn she would absolutely never return to the Sterling family for a family dinner.

"Have you vented enough?" he asked, interrupting her train of thought.

Sophie frowned, her gaze landing on his reddened arm. The clear imprint of her hand was particularly glaring. She had swung her arm with almost full force, so she could only imagine how much it hurt.

"What do you mean?" she asked in return.

"The situation online has died down. Your personal information won’t be exposed. Sterling Corp will issue lawyer’s letters to anyone spreading malicious rumors," Julian said, getting straight to the point.

Sophie stared fixedly at him, a hint of sarcasm hidden in her eyes. "So you’re the one who handled public opinion."

Was he trying to tell her how competent he was as a husband? Julian had known about this matter from the very beginning, yet he hadn’t helped her clarify or explain anything. He had merely deleted the posts and followed up with some lawyer’s letters, brushing it off lightly. Because compared to Stella’s reputation and public image, Sophie’s innocence was utterly worthless.

Julian didn’t reply. He half-crouched in front of Sophie, unscrewed the tube of ointment he had just gotten from Nanny Miller, squeezed a little onto his fingertip, and grasped Sophie’s slender wrist. He gently applied the medicine to the scalded red skin on the back of her hand.

A chill ran down Sophie’s spine, and she tried her hardest to suppress the urge to slap him across the face. She truly hadn’t expected this sudden display of tenderness. Even Madam Sterling hadn’t noticed she was burned. When had he noticed?

With their divorce imminent, this made Sophie feel incredibly uncomfortable. She instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but Julian tightened his long fingers, trapping her in an unyielding grip. He lifted his eyes to glance at her before patiently continuing to apply the ointment.

His lowered eyes actually radiated a faint, lingering warmth. Sophie was almost dazed. How many heartwarming moments like this had they shared in the past?

"I hope this matter stops escalating here. If you’re still angry, you can name your conditions," he said, interrupting Sophie’s thoughts.

Sophie slowly came back to her senses, gradually realizing the true purpose behind his sudden gentleness. He knew the online incident wasn’t an accident. But he was dead set on protecting Stella, refusing to allow Sophie to blow things up through any channels. She had been slandered and verbally abused, yet he didn’t care about comforting her. Instead, his sole focus was on keeping her suppressed.

"Oh." Sophie’s eyes flickered, a flash of self-deprecation passing through them. Her tone was exceptionally calm. "Since Mr. Sterling is going as far as to sell his charms to protect Stella Sutton, I suppose I should know my place."

Julian was merely putting on a hypocritical act to stop her from exposing Stella as the real home-wrecker. Did he really think she was a pushover?

Julian finally looked up at her, his thumb rubbing against her wrist bone. "Sophie, speaking out of anger won’t solve any problems."

Sophie smiled, pulling her hand back inch by inch. "You’re right. I prefer to just get rid of the people causing them."

Case in point: she didn’t want him anymore. It was solving the problem at its root.

Julian clearly had no intention of delving into the meaning behind her words. He noted her reluctance to let him touch her, as well as her resistant demeanor when they were taking the group photo earlier.

"How many years have we been married?" he asked.

Sophie looked at him, confused.

Julian stood up and handed her his jacket to ward off the cold. "It’s been seven years. We’ve done everything there is to do. I’m not that obsessed with your body, so you don’t need to overreact."

Sophie froze. She certainly hadn’t expected Julian to say something like that. She instinctively wanted to snap back and inform him that she simply found his touch dirty and disgusting. But before the words could leave her lips, Julian’s phone rang right on cue.

Sophie cast a glance at it. It was that overly affectionate contact name again: "Baby."

Noticing Sophie’s gaze, Julian instantly turned the screen against his chest and walked back into the living room.

Sophie saw right through it. He wouldn’t allow her to pry into the slightest bit of privacy between him and his beloved woman. Looking at the jacket Julian had left behind, she ultimately decided not to touch it. Leaving it where it lay, she stood up and walked away from this bitterly cold place, braving the snow and wind.

Meanwhile, in the living room.

Madam Sterling’s expression turned displeased when she saw Julian return. "You’ve gone too far this time. If you won’t deal with Stella Sutton, I can step in and handle her for you."

Julian’s gaze swept over her indifferently. "I am still capable of protecting one person."

"And what about your wife? What about Sophie? Don’t forget she is the one you officially married!" Madam Sterling glared at him, furious.

Julian lowered his eyes to reply to Stella’s WhatsApp message, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Sophie is magnanimous. It doesn’t matter."

Madam Sterling choked on her words as she thought of the divorce Sophie had mentioned. Observing Julian’s expression, she suddenly asked, "Aren’t you afraid she’ll divorce you?"

Julian’s fingers paused slightly on the screen. He lowered his eyes, lost in thought for a moment, before replying softly, "She couldn’t bear to leave me."

Sophie didn’t stay at the Sterling family residence any longer. Since the matter had been suppressed by various parties, she didn’t bother making a fuss anymore. She dragged her exhausted body back to her apartment.

The next day, as soon as Sophie arrived at the company, Peter Preston patted her on the shoulder. "Mr. Caldwell is here. You’d better keep your head down."

Sophie was taken aback and hurriedly sprinted toward the office. Pushing the door open, she saw a white-haired elderly man in a crisp, old-fashioned suit sitting on the sofa, his back perfectly straight. He was over eighty years old, with sharp eyes and an incredibly commanding presence for a little old man.

Sophie’s scalp suddenly tingled, and she became submissive. "Caldwell, what brings you here?" she asked, feeling a bit guilty.

Hector Caldwell stared at her. "What’s this business about you online?"

Despite his advanced age, he loved surfing the internet. Thanks to the algorithms, he had somehow stumbled upon the post accusing Sophie of being a mistress. It had made him so angry he hadn’t slept well all night, and he flew in from Seabourne first thing in the morning. He wasn’t supposed to come to Kingsford to conduct his work as a National Medical Master until after the New Year. Now, because of Sophie, he had arrived early.

"Oh." Sophie walked over with a bright smile and sat down. "At your age, you should be reading more medical books and gossiping less."

"Quit being glib!" Hector’s face was stern. "You’re all grown up, yet you give me more grief than Lydia does."

Sophie didn’t dare utter another word. Who could blame them? Her daughter had been utterly adorable since birth, and Sophie always had to take a backseat.

"Don’t be angry. The matter was suppressed in time and didn’t cause much of an impact," Peter stepped up at the right moment to draw some of the fire away from Sophie. "Didn’t Lydia come with you?"

At the mention of Lydia, Hector’s expression immediately softened. Even his fingernails were painted with nail polish, decorated with all sorts of little patterns, which made Sophie want to laugh every time she saw them. Caldwell, a highly respected and unsmiling National Medical Master, had Lydia as his phone wallpaper, Lydia’s sweet, soft singing as his ringtone, and traces of Lydia all over him. He was completely wrapped around his granddaughter’s little finger.

"She’ll be coming over next week with my wife. She was throwing a fuss a few days ago, saying she wanted to find her mommy. She said you were unhappy, and she wanted to come early to cheer you up."

"So soon?" Sophie was stunned. Originally, she had planned to bring Lydia over after the New Year, once she had her divorce certificate in hand. Then, she immediately guessed that Lydia had probably sensed her sadness that day. Her heart took a hard hit, melting into a puddle of mush.

But the divorce still wasn’t finalized. Sophie couldn’t help but furrow her brows in deep thought. Kingsford was so big; surely they wouldn’t run into him... She would just have to take it one step at a time now.

"As for me, I came over first to see just how rotten this so-called picture-perfect marriage of yours could get," Hector snorted coldly, throwing a glare at Sophie.

Sophie choked on her words, muttering defiantly, "Your logic is sound, but your words are way too harsh..."

A knock sounded at the door. Peter’s assistant poked his head in. "Mr. Preston, we have visitors who would like to see Mr. Caldwell."

Peter was surprised. Mr. Caldwell had just arrived in Kingsford, and someone already knew?

"Who is it?"

"Mr. Sterling of Sterling Corp, and his girlfriend."

The smile faded from Sophie’s lips. She hadn’t expected Julian to blatantly give Stella the title of ’girlfriend.’ A title she hadn’t managed to get in seven whole years, Stella had acquired with effortless ease.

Julian was a man of immense influence, so it wasn’t surprising that he had received the news so quickly. He was undoubtedly here to pull some strings and pave the way for Stella.

Hector narrowed his eyes suddenly. "Are they walking right into our trap, begging for a beating?"