Chapter 343
Chris sat on the sofa next to his bed and said, “It’s about the older generation. Try not to worry too much.”
“That woman even had a son,” Tyler said, shaking his head.
Chris was quiet, stunned by the news. It was so unexpected that he hadn’t fully processed it yet. Chad had never seemed like the type to cheat.
“How did your mom find out?” Chris asked, turning to Tyler.
Tyler let out a bitter laugh. “How did she know? With everything Stephanie’s been up to lately, it’s clear she’d have a hand in this. It’s her revenge on the Hart family—she’s tearing apart her own parents.”
At the mention of Stephanie, Tyler’s jaw tightened even more. She was his own sister, but she’d treated him like this. The dull ache from his wound only fueled Tyler’s anger toward her.
Chris couldn’t help but feel frustrated whenever Stephanie came up. “Have you noticed that Stephanie and Mr. Giovanni don’t exactly act like siblings?”
Tyler frowned. “What do you mean?”
Chris thought back to Cloudridge Valley, where Sebastian had strolled out of the bathroom in just a towel while Stephanie was in the room. Normal siblings didn’t act like that.
Tyler didn’t seem to care much about the sibling dynamics. After a moment, he said, “I’ve heard rumors that she has a fiancé in Fiorenza.”
Chris’s expression darkened even more. “She has a fiancé in Fiorenza too?” This was too much. Chris felt like he was about to blow a gasket.
Tyler shrugged. “I heard it’s Mr. Richard Casalini.”
The second most powerful family in Fiorenza? Mr. Richard Casalini? Chris repeated in his mind. His eyes turned cold, while Tyler felt more and more drained.
They never thought Stephanie had more than just Sebastian behind her. She had the entire Lucano family—and even that rich man, Richard.
On the plane, Sebastian, who always kept his cool, finally lost it. The tension in the lounge was palpable.
As things reached a breaking point, Stephanie’s voice grew more desperate. “I don’t want this. Let me go, please. I can’t hold on anymore…”
She cried, shouted, and begged. Even with her face stained with tears, Sebastian surprisingly didn’t soften this time. It wasn’t until nearly two hours had passed, and Stephanie’s voice was hoarse from shouting, that he finally let her go.
Stephanie, drenched in sweat, lay in Sebastian’s arms, her eyes full of frustration. “You… you’re so bad… how can you be so cheeky?”
She was amazed by how many tricks he had up his sleeve. She had never realized how wild he truly was.
Sebastian looked satisfied. He then let out a soft chuckle and carried her to the bathroom.
After her shower, Stephanie collapsed onto the bed, too tired to move. Sebastian pulled her into his arms. “Stefi, can you tell me how you managed to escape from his villa?”
Richard’s villa was like a fortress. They said not even a fly could get out—and that wasn’t an exaggeration. Yet Stephanie had managed to ditch his guards and run a good distance.
Nuzzling into his embrace, Stephanie said in a slightly raspy voice, “They were all distracted by the barking dogs, so they weren’t paying attention to me.”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “Really? Watching dogs? That’s something.”
Stephanie nodded. “The dogs were barking like crazy, and it caused quite a commotion, so they had to check it out.” While everyone was focused on the dogs, she’d slipped away.
Sebastian lightly pinched her nose. “I underestimated your stamina.” He was amazed that even the driver couldn’t catch up to her, and she was just on foot.
Stephanie nestled into his arm. “They spent the first hour chasing a dog.” There was no way a dog could run on a major road. She’d been determined to wear Richard out by coming up with this idea.
She’d picked the strongest dog, knowing Richard’s men would struggle to catch up unless they started firing. She figured the reason they caught up with her so fast was that they finally resorted to shooting out of frustration.
Sebastian’s eyes widened. He paused, looking down at Stephanie, who had started breathing steadily.
From her few words, Sebastian got the gist of how she’d escaped.
Richard loved dogs. However, Stephanie had just completed the intense training in animal communication that Sofia had put her through that month.
When the going got tough and one could not count on people, it became necessary to find a way to connect with whoever—or whatever—was around.
“Sebastian,” Stephanie said, her eyes fluttering open. In the soft orange light, her face looked even softer.
“What’s up?” he asked gently.
“Hold me. I don’t want to be separated from you,” she whispered. The brief separation had clearly left a shadow over her heart.
Sebastian felt a pang in his chest and held her tighter. He kissed her forehead. “Be good and go to sleep,” he murmured, his voice filled with tenderness just for her.