Chapter 67 Stealing Your Daughter’s Things, Heartless

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Stealing Your Daughter’s Things, Heartless

Sophie Winslow never expected that even outsiders would think the two of them were a match made in heaven. She didn’t know if Julian Sterling had introduced Stella Sutton that way, or if they just looked so madly in love that strangers naturally assumed they were deeply involved.

Stella had originally intended to ignore Sophie and go straight to Julian. She hadn’t expected to arrive just in time to hear the principal introduce her and Julian as husband and wife to Sophie.

She slowly came to a halt. A satisfied smile crept onto her face as she cast a leisurely glance at Sophie. "There’s nothing to discuss here. We have priority for the spot. Miss, I suggest you stop being so unreasonable."

"Miss?" Sophie nearly laughed out loud. Stella was the homewrecker who had ruined her marriage, yet here she was, putting on airs and pretending not to know her in front of an outsider?

"Stella Sutton, are you addicted to being a thief? It’s bad enough you stole someone else’s husband, but now you want to snatch whatever you lay your eyes on? Are you a beggar?" Ivy Hawthorne couldn’t tolerate such provocation. Her words were entirely unforgiving.

Stella’s face turned cold. If Ivy wasn’t Miss Hawthorne, why would she even bother giving her any face? She was indeed Sophie’s friend. Who knew how many bad things Sophie had said about her to make Ivy this rude!

"We all have to accept the facts, don’t we? Results don’t lie," Stella said. "As adults, we need to accept when we aren’t capable or charming enough. I still hope you can accept reality and stop treating others as imaginary enemies all day long."

Sophie understood what she meant. Stella was saying that since Julian had chosen her, it wasn’t stealing. It was true love?

"Imaginary enemies?" Ivy laughed out of sheer anger at the term. How could anyone be so shameless? No matter what, Sophie was his legal wife! Stella made it sound like Sophie was the other woman!

"Julian?" Stella ignored her and turned to the man striding over after finishing his phone call. Pursing her lips, she said, "Miss Hawthorne and her friend seem to want to steal Seth’s enrollment spot."

Sophie frowned. She was the one stealing now?

Julian’s deep, dark gaze settled on Sophie’s face for a few seconds. "Which child are you trying to enroll?"

He always managed to grasp the main point. Sophie silently cracked her knuckles. After all, Julian knew that the Winslow family had no one else left.

"Is Mr. Sterling also concerned about a child from the Hawthorne family?" Sensing Sophie’s emotional shift, Ivy stepped forward and cast a mocking glance at Stella. "Mr. Sterling, is the Sutton family completely wiped out? You’re running around so much for their child, people who don’t know any better might think he’s yours."

Her mockery was turned up to the maximum. She truly hadn’t expected a man like Julian Sterling to be so blindly driven by love!

Naturally, Julian wouldn’t stoop to bickering with Ivy. He merely looked at Sophie calmly and spoke frankly. "The spot has already been given to Seth. The Hawthorne family has plenty of resources; you shouldn’t be short of just one."

He spoke directly to Sophie, his attitude perfectly clear. Sophie understood. Julian had snatched this spot specifically for Seth. He wasn’t hiding it. He was also warning her not to overestimate herself by fighting for it.

The emotions Sophie had always been able to suppress were now overflowing endlessly. No matter how he treated her, she could endure it. Even if he took everything from her to give to Stella, she could yield.

Except for this. She would absolutely never compromise on Lydia’s rights!

"Either you change schools for your lover’s brother, or I’ll go to Grandma and let her decide," Sophie said, her tone cold and eerily calm. She had never been so resolute. Her beautiful eyes were icy and sharp as she stared unblinkingly, waiting for a change in Julian’s expression.

For a brief second, the man narrowed his eyes imperceptibly. Sophie couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but a trace of a smile seemed to ripple in his eyes, so fleeting that she assumed it was just a trick of the light.

"Is your greatest show of temper simply going to the Matriarch?" he asked slowly.

It was hard to tell what he meant by that, but Sophie automatically assumed he was mocking her for only knowing how to run for backup.

"As long as it gets the job done, what does the method matter?" Sophie didn’t back down. "That’s a principle you taught me."

Julian narrowed his eyes slightly.

Stella’s expression also changed. She knew all too well what the Sterling Matriarch’s temper was like. In her youth, the Matriarch had fought alongside the old chairman in the business world; her vision and methods were ruthlessly decisive. If Julian hadn’t been shielding her from the Matriarch’s fury recently, Stella wouldn’t have been able to withstand it.

If Sophie went back to tattle on her now, adding fuel to the fire, the Matriarch would naturally fly into a rage and make her life miserable. Sophie was so shameless! Using the Matriarch as a threat!

Sophie didn’t feel she was doing anything wrong. Julian was stealing his own daughter’s enrollment qualification for his lover’s brother. She wasn’t about to let her daughter suffer such a grievance.

The atmosphere instantly turned awkward. Even the principal beside them hesitated, having gleaned from their few exchanged words that this relationship seemed rather complicated... Who exactly was the actual wife?

However, he soon had his answer. Since ancient times, it was always the lawful wife who fell out of favor—otherwise, the phrase "favoring the concubine over the wife" wouldn’t exist. He cast a sympathetic glance at Sophie. It was glaringly obvious who was not favored here.

"Forget it. Seth has never stooped to fighting with others anyway," Stella suddenly spoke up, glaring coldly at Sophie. It was incredibly stupid of her to cause trouble with Julian just for a child from the Hawthorne family!

A scoff of laughter escaped Ivy’s throat. How noble! She robbed someone else, disgusted everyone, and then had the gall to claim she wouldn’t stoop to fighting?

"We’ll do that, then," Julian finally spoke. A hint of derision seemed to touch his lips as his gaze swept past Sophie and landed on the principal. "Proceed with the original arrangement."

The principal naturally breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless of what happened, he was in no position to offend anyone.

Before leaving, Julian cast one last sidelong glance at Sophie. That look was profoundly meaningful.

But Sophie didn’t want to decipher his meaning. As long as the spot went back to Lydia, she didn’t care about anything else! If it hadn’t involved Stella’s safety and well-being with the Matriarch, Julian probably wouldn’t have given up the spot. His priorities were glaringly obvious.

She no longer cared who he loved. At the very least, she had won this time.

-

Seth went to the restroom. Stella and Julian stood waiting in the corridor. Displeased but hiding it well, Stella could only say helplessly, "I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been threatened with the Matriarch by Sophie."

Although Sophie had taken the enrollment spot back, she still felt a sense of sweet satisfaction in her heart. Because she could tell—Julian had yielded to Sophie only to protect her. Sophie couldn’t even compare to her.

"It’s fine," Julian said, checking his watch. He didn’t seem to care much about it.

The kindergarten was massive. The children were starting to play games during their break, their cheerful laughter quite touching. He gazed at the tiny figures on the playground, lost in thought.

He was just about to step forward when suddenly, an unguarded little figure skipped around the corner and bumped straight into his legs—