Chapter 371

Amber placed her hands on her hips and laughed derisively. “Me leave? Dear Mrs. Hart, your adopted daughter has ruined this family. Now your real daughter is gone, your son’s hand is injured, and your husband is never home. And yet, you’re still protecting her?”

Catlin’s face froze, her expression turning cold. She instinctively glanced at Olivia, who shook her head weakly.

“Mom,” Olivia whispered, her voice barely audible. Then she fell silent, but her weak and pale appearance tugged at Catlin’s heartstrings.

Catlin shot Amber a fierce glare. “Stop stirring up trouble here. The mess of our family is all Stephanie’s doing,” she accused. Just thinking about the current state of the company and the Hart residence made her clench her teeth in frustration.

Amber raised an eyebrow, her expression skeptical. “Oh, so you’re saying the CFO, who had twins with your husband, was introduced by Stephanie?”

Catlin was left speechless, her face turning red with anger. Olivia’s eyes momentarily went blank at the mention of Chad.

Just then, Amber glanced at her, a meaningful smile on her lips. Olivia looked down, feeling suffocated, without saying a word. Mentioning Chad was the last straw. When his name was mentioned, Catlin clenched her fists in anger.

Ella sent the video to Stephanie and shook her head with a mix of disbelief and excitement, muttering under her breath, “This is just too wild.” Then she called Stephanie. “You won’t believe it. The Hart place is like a circus right now. It’s insane.”

Stephanie chuckled softly. “You’re still having fun watching the chaos? I was worried you’d be freaked out after what happened at the airport.”

She had been concerned that Ella, who had never been through such a scene before, might get overwhelmed. But clearly, Ella was taking it all in stride. One minute she was sobbing on the phone about having her first kiss, and the next, she was eager to see the drama unfold at the Hart residence.

Ella scoffed, “Oh, please. It’s just a small thing.”

“Your first kiss is just a small thing?” Stephanie teased.

Ella rolled her eyes. “Hey, stop rubbing it in. You know I can’t do anything about it.” She thought, If it were anyone else, I’d go over there and slap some sense into them. But Lorenzo! No way. He’s out of my league.

Ella sighed, “Well, just watch the video. Bye.” She hung up and glanced back at the Hart residence, where the arguing was still going strong. But she’d lost interest; there was just too much drama unfolding over there for her to keep up with.

Ella had barely stepped out of the client’s house when her phone rang. It was her mom, Andrea.

“Mom, aren’t you getting a little clingy all of a sudden? Finally decided to check up on your long-lost daughter?” Ella teased. Normally, they were like ships passing in the night—maybe a call every couple of months if they were lucky. Given enough time, they could probably forget each other existed entirely.

“Ella, you need to get out of the country, and you need to do it now.” Andrea’s voice cut through the air, serious as a heart attack.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Get out of the country? What’s the big rush? What’s going on?” Ella’s voice wobbled, her casual tone crumbling under the weight of her mom’s gravity. She could tell something was seriously off.

“Don’t ask questions. Emily’s on her way to get you. She’ll handle everything,” Andrea said, her voice firm and final.

Ella’s mind raced. ‘Get out of the country? Have someone else handle things? This is way beyond serious.’ So she just asked, “Where am I even supposed to go?”

“Fiorenza,” Andrea replied, her tone leaving no room for argument.

“Right now?” she repeated, her voice tinged with disbelief. ‘Fiorenza? Stefi has grown up there. So I’m gonna move there now?’ she wondered.

“Yes. And you’re not coming back until I say so,” Andrea said.

Ella’s heart pounded in her chest. “What’s really going on?” she pressed, her voice rising with anxiety.

She might not talk to her mom often, but she still cared. Hearing that something was wrong made her uneasy. She wanted to know what was happening, but her mom simply hung up.

Ella stared at her phone, frustration gnawing at her—was she really not supposed to know what was happening with her mom?