After Yvonne left, Rose smiled at Sophia and pointed at a cafe nearby. "Let's talk over there, shall we?"
"All right."
Sophia's impression of Rose was rather complicated. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good, either.
Rose had not sought out Alexander at all for the past thirty years or so, yet suddenly turned up to bring him overseas. That wasn't what a good and responsible mother would do.
"Don't worry. I won't cause you to miss your flight." The corners of Rose's lips curled as she noticed Sophie checking the time on her watch.
Sophia returned the gesture and followed her into the cafe that wasn't too crowded then.
Rose chose a spot with more privacy and ordered two lattes before they each took their seats.
"Mdm. Lenoir, may I know why you're looking for me?"
Rose was being quite amiable, and Sophie remembered that the former said she wouldn't object her relationship with Claudius.
Nonetheless, Sophia had no idea whether Rose truly approved of their relationship or was merely putting on an act in front of Claudius.
Rose flicked her hair and retrieved a set of documents from her bag, which she handed to Sophia. "Ms. Yarrow, since you need to go through a security check before boarding your plane, I'll keep things brief. You must be questioning why I'm sending Claudius overseas when he's been doing fine all this while without me. Indeed, my absence as his mother doesn't affect his life in any way. In truth, I didn't seek him out for the past thirty years as I had no idea he existed."
Sophia's hand that was opening the file jolted slightly. "You didn't know he existed?"
Just then, the waiter served them their drinks. Rose paid him his tip and waited for him to depart before continuing, "I believe you've done a background check about me. My family was bankrupt when I left the country thirty-four years ago. While in Moranta, I depended on my aunt. Back then, I had broken up with Claudius' father for six months already.
"We tend to be so reckless and stubborn during our youth. I had broken up with Zachary because of Kristen. After that, I bumped into him when he was on a business trip in Norham. I was naive to think I could teach him a lesson back then, as I ended up the fool. I only realized I was pregnant after I had moved overseas, and it was too late for an abortion. I inquired about Zachary, learning he was still together with Kristen. As such, I resented him and the child. Once I was eight months pregnant, I returned to the country wanting to send the infant to Old Mr. Xenos immediately after giving birth.
"Yet when it came time to do so, I regretted my decision. Unfortunately, the nurse informed me that my child had died due to oxygen deficiency. I initially refused to believe her, but they brought a stillborn baby to me to prove their point. I was so exhausted after labor and devastated by the pain of losing my child that everything that happened after that seemed like a blur. I spent two more months in Chanaea and departed only after giving my child a proper burial. I never returned after that as there were too many people and incidents I wasn't willing to face." Rose cast her glance at Sophia. "I only knew of Claudius' existence last year. I established UI together with my husband as well as the support of my uncle. My cousins subsequently took the positions of the higher-ups in the company after the passing of my aunt and uncle. As the saying goes, greed knows no bounds. They weren't satisfied with their current state and yearned to possess UI. I would never hand over Jeff and my life's work to those unsatiable monsters. Actually, I discovered my son's existence thanks to them. I had no idea how they found out that Zachary and I had a son who was over thirty years old and went by the name Alexander. My cousins assumed I would be passing down UI to him. Hence, they dispatched many assassins to Chanaea to do away with him."
At that point, Sophia understood the whole story.
"So why did the hospital deceive you regarding your child's death?"
"You'd better pose this question to Kristen."
Kristen again.
The smile on Sophia's face faded. "Does he know about all this?"
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