Chapter 44 The True Face of Sofia

Elena Garcia POV:

So, William didn't bother calling me again. Instead, he just shot me a text saying I could talk to him once I calmed down.

I was sitting on my bed, knees hugged to my chest, feeling super lonely.

No one told me I had to stay in my room that night.

At dinner, the maids asked if I wanted to freshen up before heading to the dining room.

My eyes were sore from all the crying, and when I lifted my hand, I realized my limbs were kinda stiff.

After a moment of silence, I told the maids I wanted to eat in my room. Now it was my turn to avoid my family.

The two maids didn't leave right away; they exchanged glances, and then one of them spoke up softly. "Miss Garcia, please cheer up. Mrs. Garcia and Mr. Garcia are just really angry. Sofia always... I mean, she always acts so gentle and considerate, so everyone initially..."

"Quiet." I looked up at the maid who was speaking.

Her name was Lily Diaz. I remembered her. When I came back to the Garcia Mansion, she suggested styling my hair like Isabella's.

Even though Isabella didn't like it, I did.

I thought she meant well. She probably heard some of my story and wanted to help me make a good impression on Isabella.

Among the maids at the Garcia Mansion, she was almost my age and hadn't been there long.

Lily wasn't my personal maid; her job was pretty easy, just helping out the other maids, which meant she had more free time.

But she usually liked to hang around my room.

Lily looked a bit upset, pouting and stomping her foot like a kid.

As another maid went to get my dinner, I spoke to Lily. "Just now, you said Sofia always acts very gentle and considerate, so everyone would what? What did you mean by that unfinished sentence?"

Lily was organizing my bookshelf. I could handle most of my stuff on my own, so the maids only needed to help me occasionally.

"Sorry, Miss Garcia, did I upset you with my words? I shouldn't have said that, I..." Lily was scared by my words.

"No, I'm not mad at you. Lily, I just want to know why you said that." I shook my head, signaling Lily to come over.

Lily hesitated for a moment, then sat on my bed, next to me.

"Honestly, Miss Garcia, your temper is way better than Sofia's." Lily relaxed a bit.

She motioned for me to turn around and started tidying my hair.

"But because Sofia is always gentle in public, she's known as the social princess of the Garcia family, so everyone thinks she's perfect." Lily's tone was a bit downcast.

"You don't like her? Why?" I was curious.

"You remember my name, but Sofia doesn't remember any of the maids' names, even those who have worked here for years," Lily replied.

Her words carried some dissatisfaction and complaint.

I listened to Lily talk childishly about Sofia. Sofia was indeed a good kid in front of Isabella and James, even in front of the etiquette instructor, she was flawless.

But in private, she would throw a fit at a maid who accidentally hurt her while combing her hair, even pushing her to the ground.

Or if someone didn't greet her in time, she would exaggerate the story, go cry to Isabelle, and lie that she was not respected in the house.

And during those long etiquette lessons, Sofia couldn't take out her frustration on the instructor, so she made the maids practice the proper etiquette with her at night.

"Didn't anyone tell Mom?" I asked.

"Mrs. Garcia knows, but Sofia said it was to help her remember better, and Mrs. Garcia bought it. So none of the maids want to be anywhere near Sofia's room," Lily sighed.

Lily's complaints gave me a new perspective on Sofia, matching the Sofia who resented me now.

She was arrogant, rude, and didn't care about anyone else's feelings, always putting herself first.

"Why does she do that?" I asked.

"Because she's the princess of the Garcia family," Lily looked at me and whispered.

"But there shouldn't be two princesses in the Garcia family, Miss Garcia. You made her feel threatened. Do you remember the time you went with Sofia to the stables?" Lily added.

I nodded. My heartbeat slowed, and the things I didn't want to face came to me through Lily's words.

"The stable keeper once complained to us that Sofia had him bring Alex and the most temperamental horse in the stable. Even though it was Sofia's order, because she got hurt, the stable keeper had part of his salary docked, which made him really unhappy," Lily said.

I think I got what Lily was hinting at.

After that, I finished my dinner, but Lily's words left me so distracted I couldn't really taste it or remember what was in it.

I promised Lily I wouldn't tell anyone what she had shared, knowing it might cost some people their jobs.

The reason they hadn't left and were still putting up with Sofia was that they needed their jobs.

After dinner, I read some books related to my college major.

By the time I finished reading, it was really late.

James and Isabella were already asleep, most of the lights in the house were off, and except for the maids on duty, everyone else had gone to their rooms.

I draped a black shawl over my shoulders and carefully stepped on the floor.

Having stayed indoors for too long, I wanted to take a walk in the garden, but I didn't want to disturb anyone.

When I got to the garden, I noticed a pot of flowers in the corner looking a bit wilted under the moonlight.

It was a beautiful pot of irises. Isabella loved them and would have the maids bring them to her during afternoon tea.

I squatted down and touched the soil; it was a bit dry.

The watering can wasn't nearby, so I stood up to look for it.

As I stood up, I heard faint voices. It was a man and a woman.

I swear I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the voices got closer and finally stopped not far from me.

When the moonlight shone on them, I stood in the dark, and they didn't see me.

By the time I realized I should make a sound, it was too late.

"You're hurting me!" a familiar voice came to me.

"Don't act like an innocent girl, Sofia. You called me here," the man said.

Sofia stood in the moonlight, her clothes half off. She was eagerly pulling at the man's shirt, kissing him passionately.

As the man roughly squeezed her breast, she let out a moan of pleasure.

Just as I was shocked by Sofia's bold behavior in the garden, they turned while kissing, and the moonlight shone on the man's face.

A familiar face came into view, and I quickly covered my mouth to avoid screaming.

It was Albert.