Chapter 9

Eleanor saw Sophie's calm expression and sat up anxiously, the IV needle in her hand pulling painfully, though she ignored it. She grabbed Sophie's hand tightly. "Sophie, if you stay, if you give Daniel another chance, everything in the Carter family will be yours."

She caught her breath, her eyes earnest, as if betting everything. "You're the true lady of the Carter family. Once I'm better, I'll hand over all the keys, the accounts, the servants, the entire estate-everything will be yours to decide. I won't interfere."

Sophie's hand ached under Eleanor's grip. The words unlocked a flood of memories.

Scenes from her past life surged forward.

When Sophie first joined the Carter family, Eleanor had held her hand, smiling, calling her the new lady of the house, only to later instruct the housekeeper to lock away the storeroom keys.

When Sophie wanted to replace a dishonest maid, Eleanor dismissed it, saying, "Old help is more reliable."

Even on Sophie's deathbed, Eleanor complained to Daniel, "Sophie was too eager to take control, hardly the refined lady."

Eleanor had clung to power her whole life, treating Sophie like an outsider to guard against. Yet now, to win back her son, she lowered herself so far.

Sophie looked down at Eleanor's aged hand, swollen from the overnight IV.

"People choose their own paths," Sophie said, her gaze drifting to a sycamore tree outside the window. "Daniel made his choice, and he'll face the consequences. As for love..."

She paused. "Who can predict the future? Let fate decide."

Eleanor studied Sophie's profile, the sunlight softening her beautiful face, yet making her seem distant.

Eleanor opened her mouth, but her prepared pleas and promises stuck in her throat.

For the first time, she realized this girl, whom she'd watched grow up, was slipping from the Carters' grasp.

After Eleanor fell asleep, Sophie tucked the blanket around her and quietly closed the door.

As she left the hospital building, she spotted Lily Harvey standing under a tree's shade.

Lily looked like she'd been waiting for a while, her face streaked with dried tears. Seeing Sophie, she hurried forward.

"Miss Wilson," Lily said timidly, "can we... can we talk privately? I have something to say."

Sophie looked at her silently, nodding in agreement.

They reached the rooftop.

High-rise buildings loomed in the distance, the hospital's red roof nearby, the air thick with disinfectant and sunlight.

Sophie felt an unexplained irritation.

"Miss Wilson," Lily began, tears falling again, "I know you look down on me, think I'm just a village girl, unworthy of Daniel. But I... I truly love him."

Her eyes glistened. "I grew up with my grandmother on a fishing boat, enduring hardships you can't imagine. I never had the nice clothes other girls wore. It was Daniel who made me feel wanted, like I wasn't invisible."

She dropped to her knees with a thud. "Miss Wilson, you have a good family, beauty, talent-you deserve someone better. But Daniel's all I have. Please, let us be. Leave him, leave this city. I promise I'll take care of him, look after Eleanor, and never cause you trouble..."

Sophie stood still, watching her.

She observed Lily's tearful performance.

Lily spoke at length, but Sophie's calm, unmoved gaze made her feel like a fool.

Her face darkened, her eyes dry, unable to summon more tears.

"What do you want?" Lily's voice sharpened. "I've said all this, and you're not moved at all? Are you determined to drive us to ruin?"

Sophie finally lifted her eyes, her tone flat. "Are you done?"

Those words pierced Lily's fragile pride.

She shot to her feet, glaring at Sophie's serene demeanor, her anger erupting.

A sharp slap echoed across the rooftop.