The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 415

Winona turned to see a man she didn't recognize. He had yellow skin, an Asian face, and spoke to her in Chinese.

"And you are?" Winona wondered if he could be Ms. Irene Chase's husband, though he looked much older than her.

"Hello, Miss Shepherd. My name is Chase. I am the housekeeper for the young mistress's family. My family has served the Chase family as housekeepers for four generations. In my time, I came to Italy with the young mistress's father," the old man explained.

Winona smiled faintly. "Hello, Mr. Chase. I am… a friend of Ms. Irene Chase, though we didn't know each other well. I was in Italy on business and wanted to come pay my respects."

"No. In the young mistress's heart, you were like her own child," Old Mr. Chase said earnestly.

Winona was confused.

"Ten years ago, the young mistress returned to China to search for her relatives. She didn't find them. Instead, those people, fighting over the money she brought with her, deliberately infected her with a disease that nearly killed her. If you hadn't saved her, she would never have made it back to Italy."

Winona answered honestly, "Mr. Chase, please don't worry about it. I was paid for my work as Ms. Chase's caregiver at the time. It was my duty. I am grateful for her kindness to me, and I will come to Italy to visit her every year."

Like Irene Chase, she longed for family, for someone to care about her. For the past decade, only her grandmother and Mia had truly cared. It was touching to know that a woman in a foreign country had been thinking of her even at the end of her life.

"Miss Shepherd, you are here now, visiting your Ms. Chase," Old Mr. Chase said with a gentle smile.

"Yes, I am," Winona replied, her own smile warm. It felt good to be cared for, even by someone resting beneath the earth.

"Your Ms. Chase was right about you. You are a kind, loyal, and responsible young woman," Old Mr. Chase said.

"I understand, Miss Shepherd. I must first make an appointment with the bank to open the safe deposit box before I can give you the gift. I will contact you once the time is arranged. Is that acceptable?" he asked.

It sounded so formal. Winona grew curious. What kind of gift was kept in a safe deposit box? Could she really be giving her a million-dollar diamond necklace?

"That's fine, thank you," Winona said.

After exchanging contact information, she was about to leave when a thought occurred to her. "Sir, I was wondering… who is Ms. Chase's husband?"

"Oh… Mr. Mario…" The old man hesitated. He was just a housekeeper, a servant whose family had served the Chases for generations. He rarely involved himself in the affairs of the family's son-in-law. As a housekeeper, it wasn't his place to ask about his master's husband.

"Mr. Mario and our young mistress had a very good marriage. He loved her dearly, so her passing was a terrible blow to him. At first, he drank constantly. When he was drunk, he would clutch a picture of her and weep, saying things like, ‘Irene, wait for me. I'll join you soon.' It was a pitiful sight to see, but…"