Chapter 46 Should I Contact Marco?

Elena Garcia POV:

So, I heard his footsteps getting closer, and before I could even get up, Albert was already standing right in front of me.

He gave me a once-over and then held out his hand. "Need a hand?"

"Nope," I shot back.

I tried to keep my cool and put on a poker face.

I pressed my hands against the floor, but for some reason, I just couldn't get up no matter how many times I tried.

Albert saw me struggling and offered his hand again. "You sure you don't need help?"

"Your legs are numb, huh? Can't stand up on your own?" he asked.

How could he act so chill after chatting with Sofia and knowing I was out here in the garden?

I bit my lip, a bit annoyed, and finally took his hand.

Once I was up, I leaned against a pillar, waiting for the feeling to come back in my legs.

"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. I just wanted some fresh air," I said.

"And you just happened to bump into me and Sofia? Look, I'm not worried about this relationship getting out like she is. No need to explain. It doesn't bother me," Albert said, looking totally unfazed.

"Honestly, I thought you'd figure it out sooner. When we first met, you should've seen from the window that the person with me was Sofia," he added.

I remembered the first time I had seen Albert. I was by the window, watching him kiss some woman.

I always thought she was one of the maids, but who knew it was Sofia?

I should've left, but seeing how calm he was and how scared Sofia was of being found out, I couldn't help but be curious.

"Are you and Sofia a thing? Are you guys dating on the down-low?" I asked.

"I thought you'd ask something else, like if Sofia and I are in cahoots, playing you, putting on a show?" Albert looked a bit surprised.

That was exactly what I wanted to know, but seeing his reaction, I didn't feel like asking anymore.

Albert was a weird guy. If I questioned him, he probably wouldn't even react. He seemed to be expecting it.

"If you were on her side, you wouldn't have warned me she was lying earlier," I said.

"Smart girl," Albert said with a satisfied smile. "Sofia and I aren't a couple. If anything, it's just physical. Sofia's a greedy bitch; a romantic relationship wouldn't cut it for her."

As he said this, his eyes dropped, and his smile turned super sarcastic.

He clearly looked down on Sofia, and she hadn't earned his respect.

Knowing this didn't make me relax; it made me even more cautious around Albert.

Albert noticed my wary look. "I'm not mixed up in any family drama. It's all boring, so you don't need to worry."

He reached out, and I got ready to block him, but he was just helping me pull my shawl back onto my shoulders.

With all my moving around, the shawl was about to slip off.

"It's still a bit chilly at night. You should stay warm. Maybe you think I'm weird, but growing up in the Garcia Mansion, I don't find myself odd. I think it's proof I grew up here. You're the odd one in the family, Elena. Sometimes I really wonder if you're truly a Garcia. Maybe Isabella and the others picked the wrong kid," Albert said slowly.

His words stung. It reminded me of the night I first came back to the Garcia Mansion.

That night, Isabella was really unhappy with me and even said something similar.

It had hurt me then, and so did now.

"If you want me to leave the Garcia Mansion, just say it," I said, clutching my shawl tightly. The night air was probably a bit cold because right now, my heart felt icy.

"I think you got me wrong," Albert said.

For a moment, the easygoing look on his face vanished. He frowned, like he was thinking about explaining, but he didn't.

He just said, "Just be yourself, Elena. That's enough."

"And you can just sit back and watch Sofia go after me?" I shot back, dripping with sarcasm.

The tension in the air was thick. I didn't want things to get hostile, but with someone as hard to read as Albert, staying calm was tough.

I thought about how he acted around Isabella and James, and with me and Sofia. He didn't seem to feel like he belonged to this family at all.

To him, the Garcia Mansion was just a stage for some show.

Before, I was just confused by how out of place he seemed with the family, but now, I was scared of Albert.

I couldn't imagine what he'd been through growing up, what had made him so cold and unfeeling.

"Chill out, Elena. As long as I'm still working for Marco, you can trust me," Albert said.

Was he saying that as long as Marco was interested in me, he'd keep helping me like he had before?

That didn't make me feel better; it made me even more uneasy.

I told Albert I was heading back to my room to rest and that I'd pretend I didn't know about what happened between him and Sofia tonight.

That was the truth. It was super awkward to stumble on their secret in the garden. Sofia was already gunning for me; if she knew I saw everything, she'd find new ways to mess with me. I couldn't let her get more suspicious and hateful.

Playing dumb was a solid plan.

Before I turned to leave, Albert called out, "Alright, I know you don't want to talk to me anymore, but don't you want to ask about Marco?"

"Marco?" I was confused.

"Don't you want to know what happened after that day? Marco got chewed out by the Bianchi family's agent," Albert hinted.

I stopped. I was curious about what happened after I blacked out. Marco saved us, and when I saw him, I wrongly blamed him for everything.

"Marco was really hurt by your accusations. But, Elena, he did warn you before. The kidnapping shouldn't have happened," Albert said.

My silence seemed to encourage him. "Aren't you going to ask about Marco?"

"Is he okay? Did he get into any trouble?" I bit my lip.

"Not exactly," Albert shrugged, "But because of you and Sofia, his standing in the Bianchi family took a hit."

Albert explained that Abner's anger over our kidnapping was because he thought the Bianchi family would kill those without inheritance rights.

Marco's agent had to ensure the safety of the heir he supported.

According to the old leader's orders, family members without inheritance rights were to be eliminated.

There shouldn't have been anyone in the villa; Abner was supposed to die there, but our presence messed up the agent's plan.

At the villa, Abner figured out the plan and wanted to kill us.

But after he learned who we were and took Marco's subordinate's family as hostages, he had leverage.

The agent wouldn't miss a chance to get rid of family members without inheritance rights. Normally, the agent wouldn't care about our safety and would deal with us and Abner together.

Abner could only choose to release one of us and demand to speak with Marco, which made things awkward.

To save Sofia, who was kept in the villa, Marco had to renegotiate with the agent.

"The relationship between the agent and the heir he supports should be equal, you get what I mean, Elena?" Albert said before I left, "If I were you, I'd call Marco. You should reach out to him, Elena."