Chapter 268

Chad had no idea how he made it back to the company. At that moment, his face was drained of energy. Tyler had pulled an all-nighter again last night, and with Amber constantly hounding him, he was overwhelmed.

When Tyler saw Chad return, he hurried over. “Dad, what happened? Did Stephanie go and explain things to Mr. Giovanni?”

‘Damn it, Stephanie actually teamed up with outsiders to go after the Hart Group. That damn girl,’ Tyler thought to himself. As he thought about the trouble Stephanie had caused for the Hart Group, Tyler wanted nothing more than to rip her apart.

Chad glanced at Tyler and opened his mouth, about to say something, but at that moment, his frustration was so great that he couldn’t even get a word out. Upon seeing that his emotions were barely contained, Tyler’s forehead veins started to bulge. “Is it really true what Olivia said? That she’s willing to sell herself to Mr. Giovanni just to get back at us?”

Mentioning this made Tyler even angrier. “If that’s the case, then I’ll pretend she was never my sister.”

‘What a disgrace. To go so far as to sell herself to an outsider just to take down her own family. No matter how powerful Mr. Giovanni is, she’s just his plaything. In time, once he gets tired of her, he’ll toss her aside.’ Tyler thought, his anger rising. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He could almost imagine tearing Stephanie apart.

Chad, already looking displeased, snapped when he heard Tyler’s words. “Did you ever think of her as your sister? At this point, do you think she would care about being your sister anymore? Olivia? What exactly did Olivia tell you?”

At that moment, Chad recalled how every time there was some issue at home, Catlin and Tyler would always bring up that Stephanie had done what Olivia had said. Whenever it had anything to do with Stephanie, it was always the same.

Suddenly, Chad yelled, and Tyler’s breath caught in his chest. He could now clearly hear the anger in his father’s voice. “Is Olivia wrong? Dad, you—”

‘Is Dad defending Stephanie now? But Stephanie teamed up with outsiders to undermine us?’ Tyler wondered. His breath became quick.

Chad’s face had turned even darker. “Hmph, Stefi was raised by the Lucano family. She’s essentially Mr. Giovanni’s adopted sister, just like the relationship between you and Olivia.”

“How has it become so unbearable in your mouths? You’re slandering her with dirty words. Is this how Olivia has always manipulated you and your mother?”

By the end of his sentence, Chad practically shouted the words. He was completely enraged. His fury filled the whole office.

At that moment, Tyler’s brain seemed to explode. Something inside his mind snapped as he realized that Stephanie and Sebastian were siblings. When Tyler heard this, he couldn’t believe it and stared at Chad. “W–what did you say?”

Chad responded, “She was raised by the Lucano family. Did you hear me? If I ever hear you speak ill of her again, I’ll tear you apart.”

The company had been overwhelmingly busy recently. Chad had no idea that Catlin and Tyler had been treating Stephanie so badly. They had been using filthy language and malicious speculation.

At that moment, Chad remembered Olivia’s vulnerable eyes, and his mind suddenly cleared. A chill ran through him. Tyler, still in disbelief, looked at Chad. “How could that be? Didn’t everyone always say she was from a poor area?”

Stephanie had even once said that her adoptive parents were terrible, vain, and embarrassing, and she never wanted to mention them in front of others. But Chad had just told him that Stephanie was from the Lucano family, Fiorenza. Tyler’s mind froze.

Chad, breathing heavily, said, “Did she ever say she was from a poor area?”

Tyler froze for a moment, his mind processing. He began to recall that Stephanie had never actually mentioned where she had grown up or who her adoptive family was. He started wondering where that information had even come from.

Chad added, “Was it Olivia who said that?”

Tyler was momentarily stunned. ‘Olivia? That’s right, I remember now,’ he wondered. He first learned that Stephanie had been raised by people from a poor area on her first birthday after returning to the Hart family. It was the first time their mother had prepared a dress for Stephanie. The dress was strapless.