Chapter 57 Make Stella Sutton a Second Wife?

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Make Stella Sutton a Second Wife?

Sophie was momentarily dazzled by that vibrant shade of red lipstick.

Even though it wasn’t a perfect lip print on the dressing—just an accidental smudge—she could still picture exactly what had happened.

Julian’s burned hand had been treated by Stella Sutton.

His injury had probably served as a romantic catalyst to heat things up between the couple. Perhaps Stella’s heart had ached for him, and her lipstick had smeared when she leaned in for a kiss?

Whatever the case, it all pointed to one undeniable fact: their relationship had progressed to a very intimate level.

As for Julian, he was probably so accustomed to being intimate with Stella that he didn’t even notice the smudge on his bandage. He had simply let his lawful wife catch him red-handed, plain as day.

"Aren’t you leaving?"

Julian stepped out of the room and turned to look at her, his gaze carrying a silent question.

Sophie snapped out of her thoughts and walked out calmly.

Of course, she wouldn’t question him. Whether they were divorcing or not, she had no right to interrogate him. After all, Julian had never given her the authority to check up on him or enforce the boundaries a wife might expect regarding other women.

When they reached the elevator bank, Sophie was just about to press the button.

Suddenly, Julian looked down at her, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?" Sophie tried to yank her hand back, but his grip was firm.

Julian didn’t even look back. "We’re taking the private elevator."

Sophie glanced over and saw they were heading toward the exclusive VIP elevator. It was vastly different from the communal ones nearby. For instance...

"It’s crowded over there. It’s much quieter here," Julian said in a nonchalant tone, releasing her wrist the moment they stepped inside.

Sophie almost laughed out loud. What a perfectly justified excuse. In reality, he was deliberately avoiding the crowds to eliminate any chance of bumping into Helios or the Kingsford University team. He wanted to make sure no one discovered they were actually husband and wife arriving together.

"Understood."

Sophie couldn’t be bothered to expose him. After all, to the outside world, he was now Stella’s boyfriend. He had been so high-profile about it that it was practically an official announcement, giving Stella an absolute sense of security. Naturally, he needed to draw a clear line with all other women—including his not-yet-divorced wife.

Julian slowly cast a glance at her, but Sophie’s expression betrayed nothing. She didn’t sound emotional in the slightest.

Sophie, in turn, couldn’t care less about what he was thinking.

Upon arriving at their floor, her eyes were opened once again.

This was the VIP area, strictly stratified into various tiers of luxury. The private dining rooms completely shut out any prying eyes, ensuring absolute privacy. Clearly, Julian had been extremely thorough in avoiding any suspicion. He was terrified that her identity as Mrs. Sterling would be exposed to the public.

The moment they entered the private room, she saw several faces she rarely encountered.

Julian’s biological father, Carter, was there. Next to him sat Judith and twelve-year-old Stanley. Next to them were the second branch of the Sterling Family: Samuel and his wife, Barbara.

Madam Sterling occupied the seat of honor.

At the sound of their entry, everyone looked over. The family evidently lacked the warmth and intimacy of a normal family gathering; the atmosphere was anything but welcoming.

Only Madam Sterling waved affectionately at Sophie. "Sophie, come sit here with Grandma, next to Julian."

Julian took the lead and walked over. Sophie naturally had no choice but to follow.

"Julian mentioned that you brought work with you, Sophie? Not even taking a break for the New Year?" Madam Sterling asked with concern.

Sophie nodded. "It’s fine. The workload isn’t too heavy."

Judith cast a sidelong glance at Sophie. "If the workload isn’t heavy, it’s a wonder we haven’t seen you come back more often to show respect to your elders."

She clearly still held a grudge over the time Sophie had washed her hands of preparing the herbal meals and given her attitude.

"If you pay me a salary, I can run back and forth," Sophie retorted without any of her usual meekness. If she hadn’t promised Madam Sterling to keep her impending divorce with Julian a secret from the rest of the Sterling Family, her words would have been even sharper.

Judith’s face instantly twisted in displeasure.

Madam Sterling quickly intervened to keep the peace. "Sophie is tired too. This year, it’s just the few of us celebrating. The old chairman and Spencer are stationed overseas and couldn’t make it back. Otherwise, things would be much livelier."

Seeing Judith get talked back to, Barbara let out a passive-aggressive laugh and chimed in, "Indeed. We could have had two more people this year. My poor Charles..."

She had deliberately brought up the very topic that made everyone uncomfortable.

Charles was in prison, and his fiancée had gotten entangled with Julian. It was no longer appropriate for her to attend family dinners...

Madam Sterling frowned.

Samuel shot his wife a warning look. "Alright, that’s enough. It’s the New Year; don’t stir up trouble."

Barbara didn’t dare vent her anger openly. She merely leaned back in her chair and sneered.

Stella, that little hussy! The moment Charles went to prison, she had instantly latched onto Julian, even dressing it up in the name of true love. And Judith, afraid the fire wasn’t burning bright enough, was eagerly jumping at the chance to arrange a new wife for Julian. How could she not be furious?

"Don’t blame me for speaking my mind, Judith," Barbara snapped. "Even if you’re not Julian’s biological mother and you don’t care if he and Charles turn against each other over a woman, you should at least consider the Sterling Family’s reputation. Are you seriously planning to accept Stella as his next wife?"

Hearing this, Sophie finally looked up.

The dynamics within the Sterling Family were indeed incredibly complicated.

Judith was not Julian’s biological mother. Rather, she was his biological mother’s younger sister. His own aunt had become his father’s second wife.

"Who can interfere with or control matters of the heart?" Judith replied coolly. "Someone always has to admit their own failure."

Sophie understood perfectly. That remark about failure wasn’t just aimed at Charles. It was also a thinly veiled jab at her, the current Mrs. Sterling.

"Judith, you..." Barbara’s expression turned ugly.

"Enough! Eat in silence!" Madam Sterling slammed her hand on the table, ordering an end to the war of words.

Only then did the tension settle.

Sophie didn’t utter a word. Regardless, they hadn’t held back from discussing these matters right in front of her. It was obvious they thought nothing of her and didn’t care about displaying their contempt.

As for Carter and Samuel, they seemed completely detached from the situation, refusing to engage in the women’s gossip.

The entire family was cold and apathetic.

Not to mention Julian, who was sitting right beside her. He was unhurriedly pouring himself a cup of tea, utterly unbothered by the firestorm that had erupted over his scandalous affair with his soon-to-be sister-in-law.

Sophie wanted no part in this toxic crossfire.

She glanced at the dishes on the table. Right in front of her was a plate of lotus root, and next to it were braised pork meatballs. She silently put down her chopsticks.

"Julian, make sure you take care of Sophie. Get her the dishes she can’t reach," Madam Sterling reminded him, insisting they keep up the facade of a harmonious couple. She shot him an exasperated look, silently urging him to show some initiative.

Sophie, however, didn’t care about any of this.

Julian didn’t refuse. He grabbed a small plate for Sophie, pressed his long fingers against the lazy Susan, and rotated the lotus root and meatballs away from her. He served her a piece of leopard coral grouper. Using his chopsticks, he deftly picked a small sprig of cilantro off the tender meat and moved it to his own plate.

Sophie froze. She didn’t like heavy, greasy meat dishes, nor did she care for lotus root or cilantro.

Did Julian actually remember all that?

"What’s wrong?" Sensing her unusual gaze, Julian looked over. His hand didn’t stop moving as he added some broccolini to her plate.

Sophie snapped out of her daze. "I can do it myself. I don’t want to trouble you."

She had almost forgotten that Julian was exceptionally intelligent and possessed an incredible memory. Knowing her preferences wasn’t a sign she was special to him; he could naturally deduce her habits just by observing what she ate. In the past, she had misunderstood these so-called details as a sign that he secretly loved her. But she had eventually seen the truth: it was her own feelings for him that had placed a heavy romantic filter over his unintentional, casual actions.

Julian looked at her coolly. "It’s no trouble."

Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and immediately shifted his attention to the device. "Tell me if you can’t reach something," he added absentmindedly.

Sophie knew he was just putting on a show for Madam Sterling.

Someone then changed the subject. "Should we give Dad and the others a video call in a bit?"

"Mom, we all know you dote on Spencer the most. This way you can see him too," Barbara said, looking at Madam Sterling.

Madam Sterling nodded with a chuckle. "That sounds wonderful."

They quickly initiated a video call to the old chairman and the others, who were far away in Nordica.

Sophie remained quiet, eating with her head down like an outsider.

The old chairman’s voice rang out from the phone—resonant, full of vigor, and commanding.

Just then, a laughing voice reached their ears. "Happy New Year, Grandma. I’ll do my best to return to your side and fulfill my duties as your grandson soon."

Hearing this voice, Sophie pictured an eternally gentle and clean-cut face in her mind.

After Spencer had exchanged New Year’s greetings with all the elders, Madam Sterling was just about to tell him to say a few words to Julian.

However, the corners of Spencer’s lips curled up, and his voice softened even more. "Where is Sophie? I’d like to speak with her."