Chapter 50 He Has Taken a Fancy to Sophie Winslow

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: He Has Taken a Fancy to Sophie Winslow

Julian Sterling saw Sophie Winslow. His placid gaze paused on her face for a mere two seconds before he nodded, acting as if they were complete strangers. Not a single trace of affection between a husband and wife could be found in his eyes.

Stella Sutton wore a smile on her lips. She looked at Peter Preston and greeted him, "Mr. Preston." As for Sophie, Stella made no effort to be friendly. She outright ignored her. After all, she was now the officially recognized woman by Julian’s side.

Sophie also found the situation utterly absurd and comical—introducing a husband’s girlfriend to his legal wife. Ironically, Sophie was the one who went unacknowledged. The official status that this other woman paraded around was something she, as the actual wife, had never experienced.

Ignoring the tense, battlefield-like atmosphere, Evan York strolled over with one hand tucked in his pocket. He clinked glasses with Lucas Langley.

"No need for introductions. Miss Winslow knows Mr. Sterling and... Mr. Sterling’s girlfriend. Who knows, she might even end up on their wedding invitation list in the future," Evan said with a faint, mocking smile. His expression carried a mix of frivolity and nonchalance.

He and Lucas were childhood friends. Lucas’s older sister had married Evan’s cousin, making them in-laws, so they were naturally close. Since Sophie had verbally sparred with him on multiple occasions, Evan was quite eager to see when she would finally lose her composure and blow up.

Hearing this, Julian shot Evan an indifferent glance, likely a silent warning for him to rein in his twisted sense of humor.

Stella’s smile, however, deepened. She looked arrogantly at Sophie, playing along with Evan’s joke. "It would be wonderful if Miss Winslow could make time to attend my wedding."

Sophie met Stella’s gaze, easily spotting the deep-seated smugness and contempt within. She gave a small nod. "Sure, but as eager as you are to get married, you’ll have to wait. Mr. Sterling can’t tie the knot right now. It’s illegal."

She was right. It would be bigamy.

Everyone present, with the exception of Lucas, fully understood the underlying meaning in Sophie’s words. Julian cast an unreadable look at Sophie. She knew it was a warning for her to watch her mouth. He cherished Stella so much; there was no way he would tolerate Sophie embarrassing her.

Stella’s expression stiffened slightly before turning cold. She thought, "Is Sophie trying everything she can to hint at her identity as Mrs. Sterling?" What a pity. As long as Julian refused to acknowledge her, Sophie would never be Mrs. Sterling!

Peter knew that Stella had quietly taken a hit, but he still felt terrible for Sophie. To be able to say those things so calmly meant her heart had long been corroded and riddled with holes. She could only mock herself like this because she had grown entirely accustomed to the pain.

The atmosphere grew bizarre, but Sophie had zero desire to feign politeness with this scumbag and his mistress. She turned to Lucas and said, "Mr. Langley, I’m going to use the restroom."

Oblivious to the tension, Lucas made a polite gesture for her to go ahead. Expressionless, Sophie walked past Julian, exiting a stage where there was no place for her. She thought she was being far too sensible—so sensible that she even had to clear the room to make space for her husband and his lover to flaunt their affection.

Evan watched Sophie’s retreating back. It was obvious she was fleeing in defeat. It was rare to see her at a disadvantage; after all, she was always so sharp-tongued when arguing with him. But for some reason, Evan frowned. Watching her silhouette, an inexplicable sensation suddenly tugged at his heart.

Noticing Evan’s focus on Sophie, Stella pursed her lips, feeling somewhat displeased. "Mr. York? What are you thinking about?"

Julian also looked at him.

Evan snapped back to reality, immediately shrugging with a smile. He couldn’t believe he had actually felt an inexplicable twinge of sympathy for Sophie, almost forgetting how she had forced Julian into marriage in the first place. She was rotten to the core; he really had lost his mind for a second there.

"Nothing," Evan replied.

Stella was suspicious for a moment but decided not to dwell on it. Peter, acting even more aloof toward Julian and the others, quietly drank by himself.

Lucas didn’t continue the previous topic. He didn’t know much about Stella, but he had seen her in plenty of recent news articles and exclusive interviews. He clinked glasses with Julian. "Mr. Sterling is a lucky man. I heard Miss Sutton won an award abroad last year?"

Stella had been in a sour mood after Sophie’s subtle jabs, but hearing Lucas bring up her proudest achievement made her smile. "I merely participated. I wasn’t one of the core research members."

She thought, "No matter how sharp-tongued Sophie is, it’s useless. Instead of wasting her breath, she should figure out how to catch up to my achievements. Unfortunately, Sophie is too narrow-minded and capable of nothing but petty jealousy."

"Miss Sutton is being too modest," Lucas said. "Anyone capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Mr. Sterling is naturally outstanding."

Peter couldn’t stomach it anymore. He glanced over. "Miss Sutton is indeed as pure as driven snow."

Stella hesitated, wondering if Peter was complimenting her or mocking her.

Julian cast a careless glance over. "It’s rare for Mr. Preston to give a lady such high praise."

Peter was left speechless. He found Julian’s words somewhat stifling, as if the man was deliberately defending Stella by forcibly twisting his sarcastic remark into a genuine compliment. Peter couldn’t help but frown, wondering if he was overthinking things.

Just then, Lucas swirled his wine glass. He looked at Peter and asked quite frankly, "Mr. Preston, would you mind sharing Miss Winslow’s contact information with me?"

The moment the words left his mouth, a sudden silence fell over the group.

Evan instinctively turned to look at Julian. Julian slowly raised his gaze, his clear, cool eyes betraying no emotion whatsoever.

Stella couldn’t help but frown in astonishment and disbelief. She was millions of times more outstanding than Sophie—why on earth was Lucas asking for Sophie’s number instead of hers?

Peter paused, his previously stifled mood slowly lifting. "Of course. But what are your intentions, Mr. Langley?"

Lucas was quite open and straightforward. "I really admire Miss Winslow. I suppose it’s chemistry at first sight. She gives me a very special feeling."

His words practically spelled out, "I’m interested in Sophie," for everyone to hear. Peter found the situation highly amusing.

The rest of the group, however, fell dead silent. Evan instinctively frowned, while a flash of displeasure crossed Stella’s eyes. She couldn’t understand why Lucas would look at Sophie in such a special light. Compared to her, Sophie was incredibly ordinary.

But she quickly snapped out of it and looked up to observe Julian’s expression.

Calm, indifferent, and icy. There wasn’t a single ripple of emotion on his face.

Faced with another man expressing interest in his wife, Julian didn’t care in the slightest! Sophie’s failure of a marriage was simply a colossal joke. Satisfied, Stella curled her lips into a smile and intimately linked her arm through Julian’s.

"Then I’ll send her contact card to you. Our Sophie has a very easygoing personality," Peter said with an exceptionally bright smile, deliberately trying to get under Julian’s skin.

Julian’s eyes showed no fluctuation, and he made no move to stop him.

"Earlier, it was mentioned that Miss Winslow might be invited to Mr. Sterling’s wedding. Are you well-acquainted with her, Mr. Sterling?" Lucas asked, turning to look at Julian.

Stella pursed her lips and gazed up at the man beside her.

Julian raised his eyes, his pale lips parting slightly. "We’re not."

It was crisp and decisive—a complete denial.

Only then did Stella finally smile. Julian wasn’t even allowing Sophie to have the slightest connection to him.

Peter, however, was astonished by Julian’s utter detachment. Sophie was his wife of seven years! How could anyone be so cold-blooded?!

Evan glanced at Julian. Even though Julian had denied knowing her, as a man, Evan felt he understood the underlying possessiveness Julian must have. He casually chimed in, "I heard Sophie isn’t single. Lucas, you’d better tread carefully."

Sophie was Julian’s wife, after all. Naturally, she had no right to betray him.

Lucas frowned. "You heard?" He paused, then declared, "Then I’ll just go ask her myself."