Chapter 483
Chapter 483
The minute Sophia stepped into the house, Agatha greeted her with a cup of ginger tea. "Ms. Yarrow, the weather is getting cold since it's starting to rain. Have a cup of ginger tea to warm up."
Sophia smiled at her kindness. "Thank you."
As Agatha studied Sophia, her eyes brimmed with tears. Sophia probably reminded her of Rose. "Mdm. Rose used to say Mr. Claudius has a beautiful fiancée. She met you before and liked you a lot."
Sophia's movement halted and consoled, "Don't be sad, Agatha. I'm sure Mdm. Lenoir doesn't want you to be sad as well."
Agatha nodded in agreement. "Mdm. Rose said we shouldn't cry over her death, but I'm old and can't help it."
After wiping away the tears streaming down her face, Agatha looked at Sophia and started, "Mdm. Rose didn't have it easy. My mother used to work as her housekeeper. Mdm. Rose's family was wealthy in the past, but everything turned south overnight. Her father jumped off from a building, leaving only her and her mother to fend for themselves. Mdm. Rose had a smooth sailing life as she grew up, but since that day, debt collectors would kick at their doors and smash their windows to threaten the mother and daughter. Her mother couldn't deal with the turn of events once they got here and would condemn her for being a useless woman instead of a man who could do more. Mdm. Rose had to strike a balance between her studies and being the breadwinner of the family. She would have gone berserk if she didn't have a strong will! After that, she finally met Mr. Jeff and established UI together. Yet, Aploth financial crisis occurred, and they were ladened with debt. In the end, they pulled through, and their days got better. It didn't last long because Mr. Jeff got into a car accident and lost a leg. Despite that, they still lived happily. Those days were short-lived. Six years ago, Mr. Jeff was
suddenly diagnosed with liver cancer and passed away six months later, leaving Mdm. Rose alone. She always said being alive was pointless and wouldn't have continued living if it wasn't for her strong determination to prevent UI, the company she painstakingly established with her husband, from falling into the hands of those vultures."
Agatha's sobbing had turned to bawling as she continued. Sophia reached for a box of tissues and handed it over to her. "It's all in the past now. I'm sure Mdm. Lenoir hoped that we could live happily."
Agatha took the box and thanked her before she continued, "I wasn't even eight years old when Mdm. Rose's family went bankrupt. My mother had heard about the news and stole an antique vase from Mdm. Rose's house and fled with her lover. My life might've ended there if Mdm. Rose didn't take me along with her. Ms. Yarrow, Mdm. Rose was such a kind person. Why did God have to be so unfair and take away such a kind soul?"
Bitterness filled Sophia at her question. She exhaled deeply and assured, "Let's think of it from another angle. Maybe Mdm. Lenoir missed Mr. Jeff so much that she left early to meet him."
After pouring her sorrow out, Agatha finally calmed down slightly. She wiped away her tears and said, "Ms. Yarrow, UI was Mdm. Rose's and Mr. Jeff's flesh and blood. You and Mr. Claudius must never let UI fall into the hands of the Zimmerman family."
"Don't worry. Claudius will never allow it."
"I'm sorry for losing my composure, Ms. Yarrow. I heard from Ms. Zobek you didn't get much rest during your journey and only arrived at Lusterg yesterday. Now that Mdm. Rose's affairs have come to an end. Please get some rest, Ms. Yarrow."
Sophia finished the ginger tea in her cup and answered, "Sure, thank you for the ginger tea. It warmed me up."
Agatha flashed her a smile and took the cup back to the kitchen.
Feeling lethargic, Sophia went to the guest room.
It was already the middle of the night in Chanaea. Sophia was tired from the long journey to Lusterg.
However, she couldn't fall asleep despite lying in bed.
Maybe Rose's passing made her sad or perhaps she was worried about Claudius' mental state.
She got up from bed and crossed the room to stand by the window.
The rain had slickened every surface outside. Looking down, Sophia noted the roses blooming in the garden.
Sophia was lost in thought as she stared at the flowers. This is the property of Nô-velDrama.Org.
By afternoon, Agatha came knocking at her door. "Ms. Yarrow, lunch is ready. Do you want to have it now?"
Agatha probably thought Sophia was sleeping, so her voice wasn't too loud.
Since Sophia wasn't asleep, she could hear her clearly. Snapping out of her thoughts, she retracted her
gaze from the blooming flowers before she turned around to open the door. "Sure. Thank you, Agatha."
Only Sophia and Agatha were in the mansion, so when the house was silent after lunch, perhaps Agatha had gone to take a break.
The rain was still falling outside, so Sophia went to the garden with an umbrella.
The fragrance of roses blew toward her along with the breeze. As she toured the garden, she noticed roses were planted everywhere, including the corners.
Returning inside, she saw Agatha standing by the doorway, looking at her.
"Mr. Jeff planted every rose in that garden for Mdm. Rose," she explained.
"How romantic of him."
No wonder Rose insisted on being buried beside Jeff after she passed.
"Do you want some dessert, Ms. Yarrow?"
Sophia shook her head. "You don't have to go to the trouble of preparing it. I'll go get some rest, and you can focus on your work."
Sophia returned to her room and fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.
When she woke up, the sky had already turned dark. The room was shrouded in darkness, so she turned on the lights. Then, she reached for her phone to check the time and realized it was already
seven in the evening. Besides, Katherine had called her two hours earlier.
Rubbing her temples, she returned Katherine's call.
It was eight in the morning in Chanaea, so Sophia didn't have to wait long for Katherine to pick up the call. "Sophia?" Sophia laughed. "Yes, it's me. What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just want to ask you how are thing over there."
Sophia sighed. "She passed away last night. We had the funeral today."
"Oh, accompany Alexander then. I'll end the call so that I won't be a bother."
Sophia arched a brow and asked, "What are you hiding from me?"
"Didn't I say I have a surprise for you? I'll tell you when you're back!"
At the heels of her words, Katherine hung up.
Sophia looked down at her phone. Some of the heaviness weighing on her heart had eased.
It sounds like good news.
As she spaced out, the door opened.
She thought it was Agatha, but it turned out that Claudius was back.
Setting down her phone, she beamed at him. "It looks like you're a man of your word."
Claudius walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Yeah."
Sophia stood up with her arms circled around him. "Is dinner ready?"
"Yes."
Claudius wrapped one hand underneath her knee, carrying her to her shoes. Once she slid her feet into the slippers, they left the room, heading for the dining room.
Agatha had made Chanaean cuisine and chicken soup.
Sophia could smell the delicious aroma of the chicken soup the minute she stepped out of the room. The dishes were already set up on the table, and Agatha had returned to her room. Only Sophia and Claudius were in the dining room.