Chapter 273
Right now, she genuinely wanted to break Stephanie’s legs. Three years ago, after Stephanie ran away, she had actually dared to hide from them.
“I wouldn’t dare,” Stephanie murmured. ‘Oh my, she is so terrifying,’ she wondered.
Sofia huffed. “You better not dare. Just wait till I deal with you, Stephanie. You’re something else, huh? Hiding so far away. Why didn’t you just run off into outer space? How did you not starve to death out there?”
Stephanie was momentarily speechless.
“See you in three hours.” After rattling off her threats, Sofia hung up.
In Sofia’s eyes, Stephanie had always been the weakest one. During the two years she couldn’t find her, she even started wondering if Stephanie had starved to death somewhere.
Listening to the beeping of the disconnected call, Stephanie gritted her teeth and forced herself out of bed, enduring the pain. She had to tell Sebastian. If Sofia arrived and saw her in this state, there would be no explaining it. Right now, there was no way she could handle Sofia on her own.
Stephanie threw on a coat and stepped out of her room. She checked the study; no sign of Sebastian. Then she searched the living room; he wasn’t there either.
The butler approached her respectfully. “Hi, Miss Giovanni, what can I do for you?”
“Did Sebastian go out?” she asked.
“Mr. Giovanni didn’t leave. He’s in the billiards room,” the butler replied.
‘Billiards room? There’s a billiards room here?’ Stephanie thought to herself. She just moved in not long ago, and she hadn’t even looked around properly.
“Where is it?” she asked.
“Just straight ahead. I can take you there, Miss Giovanni,” the butler offered politely.
“No need, I’ll go myself,” Stephanie said, turning toward the hallway on the left side of the living room.
That night, the snow in Long Harbor was heavier than ever. Stephanie walked through the warm, glass-enclosed corridor. Through the transparent panels, she could see thick layers of snow outside, glistening under the glow of the streetlights.
Stephanie arrived at the billiards room quickly. Just as she reached the doorway, a heavy thud echoed from inside, followed by a man’s pained cry. Her heart trembled. With stiff fingers, she pushed the door open just a crack.
Inside, Elliot stood with one foot pressing down on the back of a blood-soaked man, someone from Fiorenza. His expression was ruthless, eyes filled with lethal intent. The murderous aura around him made it seem like he would crush the man beneath his foot at any second.
Not far away, Sebastian lounged on the sofa, legs crossed, a cigar lazily pinched between his fingers. That air of danger surrounded him, yet there was an unmistakable touch of indolence mixed in.
The man on the ground begged in terror, “Mr. Giovanni, please have mercy! I swear, I don’t know where Lancelot is! Please, let me go!”
The moment he finished speaking, Elliot pressed his foot down even harder. Only then did Stephanie notice that he was deliberately stepping on the man’s wounded back. Under the pressure, fresh blood kept oozing from the wound.
“Carl, do you really want to leave your life behind tonight?” Elliot said, his tone casual. As he spoke, he smoothly reached to his waist, pulled out a gun, and clicked off the safety before pressing the cold barrel against the man’s forehead.
Carl trembled all over. “Mr. Giovanni, I really don’t know! I…”
Bang! His desperate pleas were abruptly silenced.
Stephanie’s heart lurched violently. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, causing the door to creak ever so slightly. The people inside were highly alert. Even though the sound was faint, both Sebastian and Elliot immediately turned their sharp gazes toward the door along with several bodyguards.
Elliot lifted his foot off Carl and strode toward the entrance. Before Stephanie could instinctively step back, the door was already pulled open. Seeing that it was Stephanie, Elliot was momentarily stunned. “Miss Giovanni?”
Sebastian’s expression darkened the moment he realized she was there. He lifted his gaze toward her, the coldness in his eyes not yet fully concealed. Stephanie had seen this side of Sebastian before, but that was years ago. Now, faced with such a scene once again, she could still recall just how dangerous he had been back then.
Sebastian exhaled slowly. “Stefi?”
Her breath hitched. She forced her eyes away from the bloodied man on the ground and met Sebastian’s gaze. This time, unlike before, she did not turn and run at the sight of a man covered in blood. Instead, she stood frozen in place, staring blankly as she mechanically called out, “Sebastian.”
In the midst of the chaotic scene, the soft sound of her voice melted away the last traces of coldness in Sebastian’s eyes. “Come here,” he said gently, his earlier danger now completely erased. This time, Stephanie did not flee, and Sebastian did not have to chase after her to calm her down. She was going to be by his side for life. Sooner or later, she would have to witness scenes like this. Stephanie needed to understand, from the depths of her heart, exactly what kind of man Sebastian truly was.
Stephanie’s body was stiff as she forced herself to take slow, deliberate steps toward Sebastian. When she was a few feet away, Sebastian pulled her into his lap in one swift motion. His warm fingertips tilted her chin up.
“Did it scare you?”