Chapter 40: Chapter 40

MEMORIES

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NARRATORS POV

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We are so proud of you Sophie. From when you were a little girl, you showed great resilience and we believed that you would do great things and make the family proud.” grandpa Greg said to Sophie after kissing her on both her cheeks.

Her grandma Rosaline held her in a firm hug for some minutes and when she separated the hug Sophie could see glitters of tears in her eyes. “You made us proud tonight, my darling. I have no words to describe it.” the tears flowed down her well powdered weathered cheeks, Sophie brought out a clean white handkerchief from her purse and cleaned the tears.

“Thank you, grandpa and grandma. I learned from the best.’’ Sophie replied, before dabbing the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief.

“You did indeed learn from the best.” Her grandma said and held her hands before leading her and her husband into the garden. “I don’t know if we have told you the tales of how your grandpa and I built this empire.

“You have grandma. But I would love to hear it again. Please.” Sophie placed her hands on her grandma’s hands, earning herself a smile.

“I will let your grandpa do the honors tonight. Let’s take a seat here.” Sophie sat in between her grandparents. The night air was soothing and the breeze caressed their body, none of them needed a cardigan since it was not cold. It was almost midnight and all the guests had gone home. Even the staff that worked at the mansion were already in bed or finishing up their task before settling for the night.

Sophie’s announcement had made her grandparents stay up above their bedtime, as they were excited.

“I used to work as a laborer in a construction firm. The owner of the firm was the son of my father’s friend. He went to college, but I didn’t because of financial constraints.” he smiled to himself remembering the past. The sleepless nights as he toiled day and night to get by with the little he made.

His friend’s son was never helpful, he rather mocked his situation and laughed at him “your father was a weakling.” he would taunt Greg, he would have been a rich man if he had joined his peers as they engaged in odd jobs for the mafia.

Greg didn’t blame his father for not following the path of crime, after all, most of them that engaged in crime, though they made the money some are dead and the others live in fear of being killed by rival gangs.

Even his father’s friend was dead, he died from gunshots wounds he sustained when riddled with bullets on the highway, his wife refused to mourn his death when news got to her he was in the company of a young woman and a child whom they later realized was his mistress and their illegitimate daughter.

Greg held his head high and as he worked, he enrolled in business school. He met his wife Rosaline in business school, where she worked as a secretary.

They began dating and soon got married, Greg got a job as a sales representative and was able to save some money with that they rented a small space where they sold household items, they both invested most of their earnings into the business, and as the business grew they expanded.

“The rest is history.’’ Greg sighed deeply as he narrated to his granddaughter. “I invested in real estate, bought shares, and with luck on my side, the Fernandez group of company was born.”

“This is why we want the business to stay in the family. Our sweat and blood are woven in the success of the company.” Rosaline interjected

“You have shown great resilience and strength, the battle is not over, but we wish you the best.” her grandfather said. “You have a strong contender in David and you know he won’t let you win without a fight and his wife Ella is as competitive as him.”

“I know grandpa, and thank you,” Sophie answered, she saw the way her uncle had looked at her when she announced the deal before he stormed out of the venue.

“We have complete faith in you.” her grandpa said and stretched, “we are way past our bedtime and these old, tired bones have to retire for the night.”

“Stop being a sissy.” grandma Rosaline said laughing

“Don’t let me reveal your snoring habit, Rosaline. You know you are grumpy when you don’t sleep well.”

“Don’t you dare.” grandpa Rosaline feigned to be annoyed. “Goodnight darling, your grandpa is right, we have to go to bed now. And so should you.”

They both took turns to kiss her goodnight before disappearing into the mansion hand in hand.

Sophie watched her grandparents walk away, she envied their relationship and marriage. Standing from the bench she walked towards the budding flowers, it occurred to her how the journey started from putting the seedlings into the ground, ensuring that they are water, and provided with good sunlight, then groom till they blossom.

It was the same with life and living, marriage and business. Her personal life especially her love life was a mess, her mind flashed to Caleb and a sad smile curved her lips, she had to forget about him and focus her mind and energy on the business at hand. If she could not get a perfect and loving relationship, she had to make up for it by being the greatest businesswoman of her time.

As she walked back into the mansion, she did not notice the pair of angry eyes watching her from the east side of the mansion.