Chapter 372

Ella’s heart pounded as she stared at the phone, the empty dial tone echoing in her ear. She tried calling Andrea back, but the call was cut off after just two rings. She was about to try again when her phone buzzed with another call. This time, it was Emily Jensen, Andrea’s assistant. “Ella, where are you right now? I’ll come pick you up.”

“I’ll go pack my bags right now. Just wait for me at home,” Ella replied.

“No need to pack. We need to leave for Fiorenza immediately. Please send me your location,” Emily said firmly.

Ella hesitated. Her heart was in her throat. She had a gut feeling that whatever was happening with her mom was serious—deadly serious. Part of her didn’t want to leave. “What exactly happened to my mom?” she asked, her voice trembling with anxiety.

“That’s not something you need to worry about,” Emily replied.

But Ella wasn’t backing down and insisted, desperation creeping into her voice, “I’m her daughter, Emily. Tell me what’s happening.”

“That’s Ms. Turner’s business. I don’t think you should get involved,” Emily said, her voice unwavering.

“I want to see her. Where is she?” Ella shouted into the phone, her voice cracking as she got into her car. All she wanted was to see Andrea.

“You can’t see Ms. Turner right now,” Emily said.

“Why?” Ella pressed, her voice urgent.

“Because I don’t know where she is either,” Emily admitted.

Ella felt a chill run through her entire body. Emily, who was always by her mom’s side, didn’t know where she was. Panic surged through her.

She hung up the call and sent her location to Emily, who replied with a voice message: [Just stay where you are.]

Ella stood in the cold wind, shivering slightly. Christmas was just around the corner, and usually, no matter how busy her mom was, they always spent it together. But this year, she was being sent away. A feeling of suffocation tightened around her chest.

Stephanie was glued to the video Ella had sent her. In it, Amber was losing it, throwing clothes at Olivia over and over again. She even wound up and slapped her twice, her face a storm of anger.

Amber really had a temper like a lit fuse. Just by watching her, you could tell that Olivia had used the same tricks on Amber that she’d used on others. When faced with misunderstandings, some people explain, but others lash out.

Sebastian glanced at the screen of Stephanie’s phone. “The Hart family’s drama?”

“Yeah, Ella sent it to me,” Stephanie replied.

Sebastian scoffed. “She’s still got the energy to rubberneck?”

Stephanie’s eyes widened in disbelief. Ella had been bawling over the phone just moments ago, acting like she was too scared to face Lorenzo. Stephanie had figured she’d be holed up at home, sulking for days. But to her surprise, she’d show up at the scene of the drama like this.

Sebastian’s eyes softened as he saw how engrossed Stephanie was in the Hart family’s chaos. A hint of affection flickered in his eyes. Just as he was about to say something, his phone rang. He pulled it out and saw it was Sofia.

“Hey, are you on Keris Isle yet?” Sofia asked.

He frowned, glancing over at Stephanie. “You’re here?” he asked, surprised.

Sofia’s voice was a blend of excitement and irritation. “I’m on Stefi’s yacht, enjoying a little vacation. And guess what? I just ran into that jerk Richard.”

Her tone turned bitter when she mentioned Richard. Even after all these years, the mere mention of his name still seemed to ignite her anger. “Want me to take care of him?” she added, her voice hinting at a desire for retribution.

Sebastian said, “This isn’t your problem.”

“Hey,” Sofia’s tone soured.

“He’s got something I need,” Sebastian explained, his voice steady.

Sofia paused, speechless. Stephanie, sitting next to him, instinctively glanced at Sebastian.

“What does he have? Is that why you’ve kept him alive all these years?” Sofia asked. She knew Sebastian had been ruthless with Richard, but he’d never gone for the kill. And it was definitely not because he couldn’t.

“Are you alone, or is Dan with you?” Sebastian asked, his voice calm.

“Dan’s here too,” Sofia replied, her voice softening noticeably when she mentioned Dan.

Sebastian picked up on the change in her tone. Sofia usually shrugged off most things with a laugh or a loud complaint. For her to sound this subdued was unusual. “What’s going on?” he asked gently.

“It’s nothing. Are you still on the yacht? I’ll come meet you,” she said, trying to sound casual.

“No, I’m not there now,” Sebastian replied.

“Oh, never mind then. Let’s talk when we’re back in Fiorenza,” Sofia said.