Chapter 989
No.1
Oliver had drawn a large white circle over her abdomen, with a peaceful baby girl sleeping inside. Isabella's lips twitched slightly. Was he truly this desperate for a sister?
Ever since that night, Oliver had constantly hinted at a sibling—through drawings, preparing toys, even excitedly building a small crib. When he discovered the truth, he might be... Her gaze drifted to Nathaniel, seated nearby.
Nathaniel sat in a single armchair, documents resting on his lap. His posture was impeccably elegant, exuding an aura of sharp intelligence and refined coldness. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a luxury magazine.
Even after living together, her heart still raced uncontrollably whenever she watched him. The wound on his arm stood out starkly against his flawless skin.
She remembered how he'd shielded her that day, and all the moments they'd shared since. A strange thought surfaced: Perhaps having his child wouldn't be so terrible.
She knew how sincerely Nathaniel treated her. He seemed genuinely committed to their relationship.
Suddenly, the doorbell chimed.
Isabella frowned. Who would visit Rosewood Manor at this hour? Could it be Eleanor arriving so soon?
She rose and opened the door. A woman stood there, barely five feet tall. Her delicate, palm-sized face wore a pitiable expression, eyes glistening with unshed tears. She wore a faded, cheap white dress that made her appear fragile and meek.
No.2
She resembled a pure white lily—so delicate and gentle she might be swept away by the wind. This was the genuine article, unlike Victoria's artificial performance.
Upon seeing Isabella, the woman stammered nervously, "Hello... Is... Is Mr. Blackwood here?"
Isabella's brow furrowed. She was here for Nathaniel?
Unease flickering within her, Isabella turned toward Nathaniel. "Nathaniel, you have a visitor."
Nathaniel glanced up from his documents. His eyes darkened instantly upon seeing the figure at the door. The papers in his hands trembled slightly.
The atmosphere in the manor grew thick with tension.
A flicker of something unreadable passed through Sophia's eyes when she saw Nathaniel. She quickly averted her gaze, her voice barely a whisper. "Mr. Blackwood... I... Could we speak privately?" Her tone was meek, almost fragile.
Nathaniel hesitated for a brief moment. He set the document down. He walked toward the door. As he passed Isabella, he stopped. His voice was a low, serious rumble. "I will handle this. Do not forget my words to you."
Isabella frowned. His words? He had said so many things to her...
No.3
Nathaniel turned to Sophia. "Follow me."
He led the way toward the koi pond in the garden. Sophia offered Isabella a small, polite nod before trailing after him.
Isabella watched them go, a strange unease coiling in her stomach. She could sense it. Nathaniel's interaction with this woman was different. The way he looked at her was unusual. His entire demeanor was off.
There was history there. A story she did not know.
The image of his broad back leading the way, with her small, delicate figure following behind, was striking. It looked like a scene of a protector and his charge. It felt intimate.
Isabella's hand tightened on the doorframe.
By the koi pond, they were alone. Nathaniel stood with one hand in his pocket, his posture rigid and imposing. He said nothing, simply waiting. Sophia stood behind him, wringing her hands nervously. Finally, she found her voice. "Mr. Blackwood... I wouldn't have come if I had any other choice. I know I wronged you all those years ago..."
Back then, they were not officially together. Yet he was always there. Protecting her. Helping her. His world was sterile then. Just work, study, business deals. She had promised to show him a different life. The simple joys. The vibrant chaos of street food stalls. The beauty in small, everyday moments. But the very next day after making that promise, she took the money. She left Westchester without a word.
Sophia hung her head in shame. "I know five million was too much for someone like me. Taking it was degrading. But my grandmother... she was sick. Kidney failure. The treatment costs were astronomical. I had no other options. And I knew I was never good enough for you. Being with me would have only brought you trouble. So I..."
No.4
Nathaniel remained silent. His back was a cold, unreadable wall.
Her voice grew hoarse with emotion. "I planned to never return. To stay away forever. But my grandmother passed five years ago... Her final wish was to be buried in her homeland. She didn't want to rest in a foreign place. She begged me every day to bring her home. I couldn't let her soul be restless. I had to bring her ashes back to Westchester."
"I know you've built a new life. I never intended to disrupt it. I never meant to break my promise to Ms. Delacroix or your mother. But... you know my history. I was an orphan. My parents abandoned me as a child. My grandmother raised me alone. When I returned with her ashes, I found them. My parents. They had come back. It turns out they were captured. Forced into slave labor at illegal brick kilns. Their captors only released them when they were completely broken. Used up..."
Tears welled in Sophia's red-rimmed eyes. "After Grandma died, they were all I had left. I couldn't just leave them here. But the five million... it was all spent on her medical bills. I had nothing left to take them away, to start over somewhere else. So I had to stay. I've been here in Westchester for the past five years."
Nathaniel's expression darkened with each word she spoke. A jolt went through him at the phrase 'five years ago'. His hand clenched inside his pocket. Five years. She returned five years ago. The timeline aligned perfectly. Was it true, then? Was she the one? Was Oliver truly her son? His son? Was Sophia Whitmore the woman from that fateful night?
“You worked at The Grand Monarch to earn money?” Nathaniel’s voice came out low and gravelly. “I…”
Sophia lowered her head, guilt washing over her. “Back then, I had just returned to Westchester. Finding a job was nearly impossible without a university degree. When I saw The Grand Monarch was hiring and the position was out of sight in the kitchen, I took it. I wasn’t thinking of anything else. I just wanted to wash dishes in the back. I never went anywhere else in that place, but…” Her mind drifted back to that night five years ago. Her gaze grew distant, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “A friend of mine got terrible food poisoning on Valentine’s Day. She begged me to deliver a room service order to the penthouse. I tried to refuse, but she said the guest was demanding it urgently. If it was late, her pay would be docked. So…”
“I planned to leave immediately after dropping off the food, but the suite door was slightly ajar. I had no idea it was you inside. I only meant to pull it closed. But when I reached for the handle, you…” Sophia’s words trailed off. She kept her head down, shame and guilt burning on her face.
Nathaniel’s eyes darkened to obsidian. That night, he had been drugged. The woman he had dragged into that room was…
No.5
Could it truly have been Sophia all along?
Sophia was Oliver’s biological mother?
The woman he had spent five years searching for was right here.
Seeing his stormy expression, Sophia grew anxious. She had always been afraid of him. “Mr. Blackwood, I’m not asking for anything. I know my place. I quit that job and left Westchester right after it happened. I thought I would never trouble you again. I never wanted to be connected to you. But then… I discovered I was pregnant.” Her voice cracked. “I didn’t even know until he was already five months along…”
She continued, the words thick with shame and regret. “No one would have believed I was innocent. My body has always been weak. My cycles were irregular. My family was poor. I couldn’t afford proper medical care in Westchester. For the first five months, I thought I was just sick. I never imagined… It wasn’t until I felt movement that I realized…”
She paused, her hand instinctively moving to her lower abdomen. “I considered an abortion. I didn’t want to cause you more trouble. But the doctor said the fetus was fully formed. He was five months old. He was moving…”
“I genuinely… I truly grew to love him. He was innocent. So I was selfish. I decided to keep him. I wanted to raise him on my own. I never intended to bother you, but…” Her voice broke completely.
Nathaniel’s expression was impenetrable, darker than a moonless night.
Sophia’s voice became a ragged, hoarse whisper. “I never expected… the baby would be stillborn. The doctor told me he was already gone when he was delivered…”
No.6
“I only saw him once before they took him away. He was so tiny. So pitiful. Like a little kitten. My heart shattered… I wanted to save him… But I couldn’t…” A sob ripped from her throat.
Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Her shoulders shook with the force of her breathless, gut-wrenching sobs.
Nathaniel remained with his back to her. He hadn’t turned around once. He couldn’t begin to fathom what she had endured. Giving birth alone. A difficult labor. The death of her child. While he felt no love for her, he was undeniably the cause of all her suffering.
After several minutes, Sophia’s sobs subsided. She wiped her tears away, her movements shaky. “Mr. Blackwood, I’m not telling you this to get anything from you. I’ve survived the hardest part of my life. I never wanted to cause you more trouble. The only reason I’m here today is that I have no other choice. I’m begging for your help.”
She took a shaky breath. “Vivienne found out. She made me tell you everything. She wants to destroy your relationship with Isabella. I didn’t want to do it. All I want is to live a peaceful life with my parents. But she forced me. She made me take a drug. She said she’d never give me the antidote if I told you the truth…”
Isabella froze mid-step.
Her knees hit the marble floor with a sharp crack.
"Mr. Blackwood," she whispered, voice trembling. "Please...I want to live. I'm not ready to die." Her hands clenched into fists on her thighs. "I only reconciled with my parents five years ago. They have no other children. I can't leave them like this."
Nathaniel turned at the sound of her collapse.
No.7
His eyes narrowed as he took in her crumpled form kneeling before him. He reached down, fingers closing around her arm to pull her up.
"Vivienne drugged you?"
"Yes." The word came out choked. "This afternoon. She gave me your address. Helped me get past Rosewood Manor's security." Her gaze dropped, unable to meet his. "She said...she said no one could develop an antidote. That I'd need monthly doses to survive. If I told you, the worst you'd do is kill her...but I'd suffer forever."
Nathaniel's expression darkened.
His jaw tightened. Not only had Vivienne targeted Isabella, but she'd dragged this innocent woman into her schemes? "Go home," he commanded, voice low. "I'll handle this."
"Thank you." Relief washed over her features. "Thank you so much." She bowed deeply before turning to leave.
Nathaniel watched her retreating figure, his gaze heavy with unspoken thoughts. This woman had endured so much pain...and he was the unwitting cause of it all.
"Dominic," he said without turning. "Watch her. And dig deeper into her situation."
"Yes, sir."