Chapter 309
The door slammed shut behind Vincent Valdemar with a thunderous crash.
Sophia Laurent watched his retreating figure with a sardonic smile curling her lips.
"Is that all you've got?"
She had expected more resistance from him.
The real puppet master pulling the strings was the woman who'd remained in the shadows all along.
Genevieve Roche—mother of Sebastian and Damian Valdemar.
A cold glint flashed in Sophia's eyes.
"Sis!" Adrian Valdemar bounded over, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
Sophia arched an eyebrow.
Adrian was practically vibrating with enthusiasm.
Diana Valdemar had always been outmatched in confrontations with her husband.
Each encounter reopened old wounds that left her devastated.
Today's outcome was unprecedented.
"You were absolutely brilliant!"
Sophia chuckled at his exaggerated admiration.
"Shall we check upstairs?" She gestured toward the second floor.
Adrian's expression sobered as he remembered their purpose.
"Will you come with me?"
Sophia's fingers stilled momentarily.
This would be her first meeting with Alexander's mother.
The timing wasn't ideal.
But leaving now would be even more improper.
"Let's go," she murmured softly.
In the second-floor bedroom, Diana slept peacefully.
The sedatives smoothed the lines of distress from her face.
Not yet fifty, she looked decades older from years of suffering.
Adrian sat by the bedside, his gaze troubled.
For as long as he could remember, his mother had vacillated between fragile stability and breakdowns.
During her lucid moments, she often held him while weeping silently.
Sophia observed quietly.
This society matriarch had imprisoned herself in a gilded cage of misery.
A ringing phone shattered the heavy silence.
Patriarch Valdemar summoned them for dinner.
"Let's go," Adrian whispered.
Stealing a glance at Sophia's expression, he suddenly thumped his chest in reassurance.
"Grandfather favors me and Alexander above all. Vincent's words mean nothing."
Sophia paused mid-step.
"Who said anything about divorce?"