Chapter 484
Chapter 484
Claudius hadn't been sleeping well for the past two days so exhaustion was evident on his face.
After dinner, Sophia rested her chin on her palm and stared at him with concern. "Shall I massage you?"
Claudius glanced at Sophia at her offer and nodded.
With a soft smile, Sophia got up from the table and took a seat on the couch, then beckoned Claudius over. "Come here."
Claudius strode toward her and sat beside her.
Sophia turned slightly so that she was half-kneeling on the couch. Her fingers gently massaged his temples.
The living room was silent. None of them spoke.
A while later, his hand covered her, stunning her. Turning her head slightly, she met his dark gaze. "What's wrong?"
"When are you flying back?"
Sophia raised a brow at his question. "Have they done something seeing that you're eager for me to return?"
Even though Claudius couldn't remember anything from the past, he knew Sophia was intelligent after
spending time with her. He knew there was no hiding it from her, so he relayed what had happened at his office. "Bruce's side doesn't own many shares, so they're claiming I'm not related to Mom, but Mom had prepared a few copies of DNA test results verified by authorized organizations. They're merely trying to delay by using my identity as an excuse."
Sophia frowned. "You think they're up to their old trick?"
Rose didn't have any relatives in the past. Naturally, her nephews weren't too worried about UI falling into another's hands. Yet, Claudius' appearance threatened them. If they wanted UI, their only choice was to take out Claudius, who was Rose's biological son.
It was a stupid but practical method.
Moreover, Bruce had no idea Rose's will was in Sophia's hands. If they found out, her situation wouldn't be any better than Claudius'.
Hence, it made sense for Claudius to want her to fly back soon.
"They can't lay a hand on me, but they might do something to you."
Sophia chuckled. "Oh, I see. Mr. Lenoir worries that I'll be your burden and weigh you down."
Claudius immediately pulled her into a hug.
Lowering his head, with his lips nearly touching Sophia's, he looked into her eyes. "You will never weigh me down."
"And why is that?"
"Faith."
Sophia's cheeks blushed. "Didn't you lose your memories?"
"I only lost some of my memories. It doesn't mean my IQ and EQ will take a nosedive."
Sophia couldn't come up with any rebuttal to his argument since it made perfect sense.
"Go back tomorrow, please."
He lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.
Instead of calling it a discussion, Claudius was coaxing her.
Sophia blinked. "How about the day after tomorrow?"
"Deal," Claudius uttered, then continued to deepen the kiss.
His kiss was fervent. Sophia felt he had sucked all her breath away.
The two's weight had left a deep indentation on the soft cushion of the couch. With Claudius pressing down on her, his scent filled her nose, overwhelming her.
Before things got even more heated, Claudius loosened his grip, but his lips kept leaving fleeting kisses on her lips.
Sophia closed her eyes as she tried to calm her breathing.
Shortly after, Claudius helped Sophia up from the couch and tucked some of her loose strands behind her ear. "Get some rest."
Sophia's brows furrowed as she instinctively grabbed onto the hem of Claudius' clothing. "You still have work to do?"
It has already been a day and night since he last gets some shut eyes.
Claudius' lips touched her forehead before he answered, "I just have two more documents."
"Can't you read them tomorrow?"
"I'll finish them in half an hour."
Their determined gazes locked briefly before Sophia conceded. "I'll go take a bath and fill the bathtub for you. You should take a nice, warm bath."
"Okay."
Claudius carried her back to their room and set her down on the bed. She watched as he turned around to leave. "Half an hour. Remember."
Claudius looked over his shoulder at her reminder. His mood brightened when his gaze landed on the curve of her lips. Her smile instantly chased away the dark clouds hovering over him for a few days.
"Okay."
Sophia already had a nap in the afternoon, so she wasn't sleepy.
Actually, she wasn't all that better than Claudius. It had almost been forty-eight hours since she arrived at Lusterg, but she had only slept for a few hours.
It was exactly twenty minutes once she finished her bath.
After applying some skincare products on her face, she went back into the bathroom to fill the bathtub for Claudius.
She filled it with hot water since Claudius would only get in after five minutes. The five minutes were enough to cool the water to a comfortable temperature.
Once that was done, Sophia picked up her phone and checked an email from Felix.
At nine-fifteen, Claudius returned to the room.
Sophia lifted her gaze from her phone. "Thirty-five minutes."
He's five minutes late.
"There won't be a next time."
Sophia merely pointed at the bathroom. "The tub is filled. Go on ahead."
"Okay, don't wait up for me and go to sleep."
Sophia muttered an acknowledgment but didn't sleep.
Finished reading Felix's email, she realized it was nearly ten. She was about to go and check on him, thinking he might've fallen asleep in the tub when the bathroom door opened.
Claudius walked in and saw she was still awake. "Aren't you tired?"
"I napped in the afternoon."
She scooted slightly, making space for him.
"I'm turning off the lights.
"Okay."
The illumination dimmed, and darkness claimed the room.
Once her vision adjusted, she rolled to the side to look at the man beside her. Her fingers gently stroked his eyebrows. "Good night."
"Good night."
Claudius was exhausted. With her pleasant scent filling his nose, he fell asleep just after a few
seconds.
Sophia was still wide awake from the jet lag and afternoon nap. When she finally fell asleep, hours had passed.
The next day morning, Claudius was already gone by the time she woke up.
Seeing sunlight filtering through the window, Sophia picked up her phone and checked the time. It was nearly nine o'clock.
News of Rose's passing had been announced on the web. Sophia swiftly skimmed through a few articles, then went to wash up.
Madeline suddenly dropped by to meet Sophia in the afternoon.
Sophia, who was reading on the balcony, was surprised by her visit. Seeing Madeline standing behind Agatha, Sophia immediately set down her book. "Ms. Zobek."
"Sorry to disturb you, Ms. Yarrow."
Sophia finally noticed the small case in Madeline's hand when she came closer. This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.
She immediately averted her gaze. "May I know the reason for your visit, Ms. Zobek?"
Madeline nodded. "Mdm. Lenoir just passed away two days ago, so I had much to handle and couldn't find the time to meet with you. I heard you'll be leaving tomorrow, so I hurried over."
Madeline placed the small case on the coffee table and opened it. "Ms. Yarrow, Mdm. Lenoir asked me to hand this over to you. She said she really liked you and felt bad that she couldn't witness your wedding with Mr. Claudius. Thus she had me pass this to you as a wedding gift."