CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40: MY HUSBAND DOESN’T LIKE IT

Tim Sawyer probably got upset and left in a daze.

However, there was no sign of anger on her, she held it in well, exuding an enviable grace in her every move.

Sophia Lowell stood in place for a while before remembering that she had just called Zane Sterling.

"!!" Seeing her husband on the lit-up phone screen, she was startled, "Did you hear everything?"

"Ms. Lowell, come back to class, I too want to listen to ’How to Make Mr. Sterling Fall in Love with Me’."

Laughter echoed inside the car.

Since when did Zane Sterling become so—

Sophia hurriedly hung up the phone.

——

Inside the car.

Ethan Sinclair sat in the passenger seat.

"Did she trouble you?" Zane Sterling asked with a smile on his face.

Sophia glared at him, "Isn’t it all because of you? You’re a magnet for admirers, and I have to deal with all these messy relationships for you."

After dealing with Henry Quinn and Sienna Lawson’s issues, she thought she could quietly live as someone secretly married, not expecting to be tangled up with him, and all these matters to handle.

Dealing with women is much more troublesome than dealing with men.

"These days, even being handsome is a sin," he murmured confidently, leaning back in the rear seat.

"I suggest you stay put at the seafood market and stop running around, causing trouble for me," said Sophia.

"Why at the seafood market?" Ethan looked blankly at the rearview mirror.

"She called me a salted fish," Zane Sterling chuckled softly.

Originally, it wasn’t so funny, but the burly driver’s deep voice, like a piercing laugh from a haunted house, made everyone else laugh as well.

"Haha—"

——

The plane landed, and it was already past ten at night.

After Zane Sterling and Ethan took care of some matters, they went their separate ways, leaving only Zane Sterling and Sophia at the airport entrance.

Just then, he noticed, standing before Sophia, was a familiar man.

He sneered slightly without interrupting them, sitting quietly in the car, waiting.

"That night, was it Ethan Sinclair or Zane Sterling?" Henry Quinn asked with a questioning tone, looking at her humbly.

His face was bruised and swollen, and speaking was slightly labored, making him appear quite pitiful.

However, Zane Sterling seemed to have held back a bit; he should’ve broken his legs to keep him from running around everywhere.

"In what capacity are you questioning me, Mr. Quinn?" Sophia flipped the coat she had just taken off, hanging it on the suitcase.

Even though she had no idea what Henry was referring to about that night, it was evident he was painfully angry.

Yet whoever or whatever the matter, as long as it angers him, it’s enough, no need to explain.

"I don’t agree with breaking up," Henry asserted decisively.

The weather in November wasn’t very cold, but he was as thin as a flickering flame in the wind, seemingly about to topple over with a gust.

In this past week, Sophia entirely cut their destinies from each other’s world. She was in pain, yet Zane Sterling’s tenderness nourished her, helping her slowly detach from his world.

But for Henry, it seemed like only Sophia mattered; even with family pressure and falling out with them, he only wanted Sophia.

"It’s not up to you to decide, Mr. Quinn," Sophia responded mildly.

"What would it take for you to come back to me? I can change," Henry took a step forward, "I was really drunk that night."

Sophia stepped back.

"If I wanted to be with you, I could easily lie in bed calling you husband like Sienna Lawson, but I’m not Sienna Lawson, I’m Sophia Lowell."

A cat sneaking fish would even eat the fish from the sewers.

She paused, eyes reddening, "I thought about marrying you." She choked up, "But we’re not suitable."

"What about you and Zane Sterling? Are you suitable?"

"You have no right to speak about him." Sophia clenched her teeth.

"Are you two together?"

His heart was pierced as if by a thousand ice picks, icy with a stabbing pain.

Sophia said nothing, turning to walk towards the car parked not far away.

Zane Sterling watched her from the rearview mirror.

"Sophia," Henry called her.

"Do you know Zane Sterling’s status? Do you think you can enter his family? What happens to him and your child? Beaten, right? What’s the point of clinging to him? Once he gets tired of playing, you’ll have nothing left!"

Sophia paused, looking at the car in front of her.

Zane Sterling watched her in the rearview mirror, as if their eyes had already met.

He didn’t get out because this matter should be ended by her, only then would he be at ease.

She let go of the suitcase handle and turned towards Henry.

"Slap!"

Sophia slapped his already swollen face.

"Mr. Quinn, this slap is a return to you. Next time we meet, don’t call me Sophia. My husband doesn’t like it. Please address me by my full name, or I won’t mind releasing those indecent videos of you and Sienna."

Henry stood there, stunned.

She really lost hope completely.

"Also, if you’re still a man, don’t fail Sienna. What’s in her belly is your Quinn Family’s seed. If the Liao and Quinn families don’t marry, your family’s business might just end with you. Don’t waste time on me. Think more of your child and family, don’t let me look down on you!"

With these words, she turned back to her suitcase and walked away without looking back.

Zane Sterling’s Adam’s apple bobbed, he opened the door, got out, and the trunk slowly rose.

Taking her suitcase from Sophia’s hand, he placed it in the trunk, closed it, and held her hand, leading her into the car.

He didn’t rush to get in but rested one hand on the car roof, adjusting his glasses, looking at the distant Henry.

Henry felt a chill behind him, his legs going weak.

Even through the lenses, he could sense the man’s imposing pressure, a kind of presence that couldn’t be faked.

Zane Sterling curled his lips disdainfully before getting into the car.

As soon as he sat down, his chest was surrounded by warmth.

She curled up tightly in Zane Sterling’s embrace, silently weeping.

The partition rose.

Zane Sterling hugged her tightly, gently stroking her head.

Henry’s feet felt as if filled with lead, unable to move, his eyes vacantly watching Zane Sterling take her away in front of him.

That man, it was Zane Sterling, it truly was him.

This was a man he could not afford to provoke, building from scratch, rising to the top in the fashion industry in just two years.

People from all industries were eager to cooperate with him, yet he was as cold as ice, dealing with him was like negotiating with the King of Hell.

He was a relentless person, working three hundred sixty-five days a year, twenty-four hours a day at the company.

Everyone looked up to him as a role model; even people in his family often compared themselves to him.

Henry saw him once, on the day of Sienna’s father’s promotion, he was there.

He just stood quietly by the window, observing the banquet, and it was this calmness that made him seem godlike.

But his eyes lacked light, as if merely being looked at by him would make one wholly obedient to his will.

Even sometimes, one dared not look directly into his eyes.

How did he take a fancy to her?

Are they really together?

"I don’t believe it, Sophia, just wait for me!" Henry’s fingers tighten, forming a fist.

In his heart, Zane Sterling could not possibly be interested in someone without a family background who couldn’t aid his career. There was only one answer, that she was kept.

This act was merely for him to see.

As long as he became strong enough, able to withstand the family’s judgment or accumulate greater wealth, he too could keep someone.

Zane Sterling had no feelings for her, but they had a five-year emotional foundation, making him feel his chances were greater.