Chapter 45 Sofia and Albert: The Secret in the Garden

Elena Garcia POV:

Whoa, the people in the garden were Albert and Sofia!

I couldn't believe my eyes. They'd never been this close in front of the family. What the heck was going on?

Albert was known for being a playboy.

And he told me Sofia had a thing for Marco, which Sofia herself confirmed to me.

But now, here she was, kissing Albert.

My face went beet red from their bold and reckless behavior in the garden.

This was definitely not what I expected, and I shouldn't be seeing any of this.

I took a couple of steps back, and my shawl slipped off, making a tiny noise.

But it was late at night, and even the smallest sound seemed super loud in the silence.

"Who's there?" Sofia was startled.

She pushed Albert away, her sharp eyes scanning the area.

I hid behind a pillar, trying to blend into the darkness.

Given that I had just recently learned Sofia's true nature and our current awkward relationship, I was even more afraid of being discovered by her.

But she quickly pinpointed the direction of the sound. After pulling her clothes up to her chest, she angrily walked towards where I was hiding.

"Sofia, are you being a bit paranoid?" Albert asked.

Albert, who followed her, was the opposite; he looked relaxed and not nervous at all.

"Shut up, Albert. I don't want to be discovered," Sofia said.

"Are you still maintaining your perfect lady persona? I almost admire you," Albert smiled.

Albert's hand tried to touch Sofia's waist again, but she slapped it away hard.

He raised his hands in a gesture of innocent surrender. "Alright, looks like we're done for today?"

Albert said as he looked around, and finally, as if he had discovered something, he walked towards the pillar where I was hiding.

I thought he had found me, so I squatted down, covering my mouth tightly.

But he just picked up a glove not far from me, which was something the maids in the garden often used.

The other glove was still teetering on the edge of a flowerpot.

"Looks like the maid didn't put them away properly. The sound you heard was probably the glove falling," Albert said.

"Damn it! These useless idiots!" Sofia cursed.

Sofia's expression relaxed a bit when she saw the glove, and she let out a long breath.

I also breathed a sigh of relief because it looked like they didn't find me.

Feeling awkward, I thought they would leave soon, and once they did, I could return to my room.

If possible, I would definitely choose to come to the garden during the day next time.

But who would have thought they would be here in the garden at night?

My face turned red again.

Although my plan to leave sounded excellent, Sofia and Albert didn't follow it.

After stopping their bold actions in the garden, Sofia and Albert started another conversation.

"Albert, why did you tell Elena that I have feelings for Marco?" Sofia asked.

"I thought you wanted that. After all, if Elena knew you had feelings for Marco, given her personality, she probably wouldn't have any other thoughts about him," Albert explained.

"Liar. If you really wanted to help me, why did you expose my act of fainting on the stairs? You even made up a story about surveillance cameras to scare me," Sofia sneered, "You just want to see us all make fools of ourselves, you hypocritical bastard."

"Don't say that, dear. That was because Marco called my name," Albert shrugged. "I work for Marco, so naturally, I have to consider my boss. Marco wanted me to help Elena, so I followed his orders. Besides, if Elena fell for Marco, that would bring me closer to him."

Listening to Albert, I couldn't believe my suspicions about him on the beach were actually true.

I had thought we just hadn't found the right way to get along, but it seemed he, like Sofia, never considered me a member of the Garcia family from the beginning.

Thinking about this made me furious.

Sofia laughed, her tone mocking. "If you want to get closer to Marco, why not choose me?"

She approached Albert, putting her arms around his shoulder and hugging his neck.

"Aren't our goals more aligned? I'm very interested in Marco, why not use me as a bargaining chip?" Sofia asked.

This time, it was Albert who slapped her arm away. His voice was emotionless, still in a relaxed tone. "Maybe because you're a self-centered bitch, and Elena is different from you."

"Albert!" Sofia shouted furiously.

Sofia must have been extremely angry; I saw her chest heaving in the moonlight.

"The heir to the mafia likes an ugly duckling? Is it because he's never encountered that type of girl and finds her unique?" Sofia assumed.

Albert said, "Maybe."

This made me even angrier. I had no feelings about Sofia mocking me as an ugly duckling.

She had already shown her dislike for me, and no matter how she belittled me, I wouldn't be surprised. But just when I thought she was going to insult Marco again, she stopped.

Probably because Marco's identity and what had happened before made her a bit cautious.

"You should probably put away your arrogant thoughts. I think this incident should have taught you a lesson. Honestly, if you want to find someone with status as your prey, you picked the wrong person this time," Albert said.

Albert leaned against the back of the pillar where I was hiding.

I heard the sound of a lighter, followed by the smell of a cigarette.

"Running back to the villa halfway caused a lot of unnecessary trouble," Albert added.

"Elena, that bitch tricked me!" Sofia huffed.

"Come on. You made the decision, didn't you also trick her? I don't believe Elena didn't try to stop you. Anyway, I don't want to pay for your stupidity anymore," Albert said.

Sofia stormed off. Her footsteps were very loud, as if she wanted to crush the floor.

My legs were numb, but Albert hadn't left yet, so I couldn't move.

Maybe he wanted to finish his cigarette before leaving.

I continued to squat on the ground, hugging my knees.

Albert and Sofia's conversation gave me some information.

Marco's feelings for me might just be a novelty. This would explain his special attitude towards me.

I focused on other aspects more.

After seeing Sofia's true nature with my own eyes, I told myself that I needed to be vigilant in the future. I couldn't let Sofia frame me again.

As for Albert, I didn't know how to face him.

After a while longer, the smell of the cigarette had dissipated, but the sound of another departing footstep had not come yet.

Just when I almost thought Albert had left and I hadn't noticed, he suddenly spoke. "Elena, are you satisfied with what you heard and saw?"

Hearing this, I was startled.

"I know you're there; your hiding is too simple. If it weren't for me, you would have almost been discovered by Sofia," Albert said.