Chapter 299

Caitlin pulled herself together, stubborn as hell. “I–I’m not going anywhere. My son’s here on a sick bed,” she said, staring him down.

“Hell renounce you soon enough. I assure you. You’ve only got Olivia now,” Chad fired back, his voice hard and cold. He didn’t care that Chris was standing right there. Chad was way past worrying about what anyone thought. The company was going under—he’d already heard the Ashford Group screwed up their chance at Giovanni’s backup. They were a disaster, too. The Ashfords were useless to him now.

Chris’s face darkened at Chad’s words, his brows knitting together.

Caitlin’s voice wobbled. “What’s that mean? You’re done with me? Chad, you’re unreal.” She trailed off, too mad to keep going.

“Marrying you was eight generations of bad luck for the Harts. Get out—go, go, go!” Chad waved her off, his voice thick with disgust.

Caitlin tried to argue, but her throat locked up.

“Jake, drag her out,” Chad barked, not even glancing back. He was over arguing with Caitlin—he just wanted to focus on Tyler.

She didn’t want to leave, but Jake hauled her out anyway.

Chad, meanwhile, hunted down the hospital director, demanding the best specialists for Tyler. No matter what, that hand couldn’t be a goner. He gritted his teeth, holding onto that hope. He didn’t even glance at Chris—not a single look. Chris had gone to Shallow Bay Area with Tyler, and Tyler came back a mess. Chad couldn’t help blaming him for not watching out better.

Snow had been piling up all day, covering everything outside in white. The wind whistled by the windows. Shallow Bay Area was snowed in, and Stephanie was perched on the bay window, staring out at the drifts. It was freezing out there, but inside was warm and cozy, the fireplace popping with a good fire. Sebastian walked in and caught her gazing out, her eyes lit up like a kid dying to go play. She’d been bugging him all afternoon to go outside, but he’d shot it down. Macro had warned she was still recovering—catching a cold now would suck.

Sebastian slipped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in close. Feeling his warmth, Stephanie turned her head, her nose almost brushing his cheek. Their breaths mixed as Sebastian leaned down, planting a soft kiss on her lips. “What’s on your mind?”

Stephanie blinked, then grinned. “Building a snowman.” Her voice was all excited and bouncy.

“Such a little girl,” Sebastian teased, his deep laugh rolling out, warm and easy. He kissed her forehead, the sweet move making her heart skip a beat.

Stephanie wiggled in his arms, huffing playfully. He’d been extra sneaky lately, and it kept her on her toes. This close, who knew what he’d do next? She wasn’t about to let him mess with her and trap her again.

Sebastian tightened his hold on her, his voice dropping low. “Stop wiggling. I just need one minute.”

Stephanie mumbled under her breath, “Macro says I’ve got to learn to handle myself now. Guys can be such jerks about that sometimes.”

Sebastian stopped cold. The room went quiet for a beat, just the firewood popping in the background. His breathing hitched, uneven for a second. He squinted at her. “That’s what he said?”

This little punk—calling him a jerk right to his face? His tone got a sharp, dangerous edge.

Stephanie nodded, totally serious. “Yep, and I’m with him on that.”

Sebastian let out a low, playful laugh, leaning in to nip her earlobe—light and teasing, like he was messing with her.

Stephanie squeaked, ducking her head and tucking her chin. “Hey, knock it off!”

His laugh got deeper, eyes sparkling with trouble. “Getting gutsy, huh? Talking smack to me right here?”

“Hmph, it hurt,” she whined, her voice tiny but pouty. Back when she’d begged him, she’d yelled herself hoarse. She could still feel it in her throat even now. ‘Macro was spot-on—total jerk move.’ She nodded to herself, agreeing quietly.

Sebastian’s grip tightened, his warm breath brushing her ear.

Stephanie scrambled to switch gears. “Did they find Luca yet?”

Sebastian’s answer was flat, chill as ever. “Nope.”

“Huh?” Stephanie blinked, a bit shocked. Luca had tried to grab her, and they still hadn’t tracked her down? So…that meant she couldn’t even go outside tomorrow. Not that it mattered much—looking at the blizzard tearing through outside, tomorrow wasn’t looking good anyway. Before Sebastian could add anything, the phone rang, slicing through the quiet with its loud buzz. Sofia’s name flashed on the screen.

Sofia was freaking out on the line, her voice all over the place. “Sebastian, send someone on it, fast! I can’t get through to Luca either!”

Sebastian’s face went dark. His fingers gripped the phone tighter.

Stephanie’s lip twitched when she heard it, a cold little smirk flashing in her head. Sofia and Luca had been plotting together, trying to gang up on her. Now she was pretending she couldn’t reach Luca? Come on.

Sofia, picking up on Sebastian’s silence, tripped over herself to explain. “I swear I can’t get ahold of her! Don’t think I’m up to something—I, uh, just asked her to grab Stefi for me. I’d never mess with Stefi!”