Chapter 373

Sofia knew how busy Sebastian usually was, always rushing in and out of places. But this time, he’d stayed in Long Harbor for weeks—something he rarely did. And he knew it was because of Stephanie.

“Yeah,” he said. “Always put yourself first.”

“Understood. How about Stefi? Is she with you?” Sofia asked, her voice curious.

“Yeah, she’s here,” Sebastian replied, glancing at Stephanie.

“Then you’d better keep a close eye on her. You know how Richard can be,” Sofia warned, her voice turning sour; she clearly still resented how Richard had taken advantage of the Giovanni family.

Sebastian looked at Stephanie, who was sitting quietly beside him. He smiled, his tone affectionate. “She’s much smarter than you.”

Sofia’s response was a stunned silence. But before she could ask anything else, Sebastian had already ended the call.

Stephanie looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. “You better watch it, or Sofia’s gonna be pretty upset with you.”

“Oh, and what’s she gonna do?” he replied.

“You’re being pretty condescending, aren’t you?” Stephanie murmured, recalling how Richard had dismissed her in Paginara and what he had done just now…

Sebastian’s gaze sharpened as he noticed the red marks on Stephanie’s neck. He gently lifted her chin, his eyes narrowing. “Did Richard do this?” he asked, his voice low and serious.

“I hit him. Smashed a showerhead right on his head,” Stephanie replied.

Sebastian’s hand froze for a moment, and then he let out a soft chuckle. “You knew he wouldn’t really hurt you,” he said.

He knew Richard would never bring himself to hurt Stephanie. Thinking about Richard’s feelings for Stephanie, a complex mix of emotions flickered in Sebastian’s eyes. Without warning, he pulled her onto his lap.

The sudden movement almost made Stephanie yelp. “What are you doing? You…”

Macro, in the front seat, had already put in earplugs. He was trying to ignore the interaction between Stephanie and Sebastian, afraid that if he spoke up, he’d say something without thinking.

Sebastian gave her soft waist a gentle squeeze. “I can’t leave you alone for a second, can I?” he murmured, recalling how Richard took her away when he didn’t notice.

Turning to Elliot, who was driving, Sebastian added, “Take care of the underlings.”

Elliot, who had been focused on the road, paused for a moment and then nodded in understanding. “I’ll take care of it right away.”

Stephanie looked at Sebastian, confusion etched on her face. “What do you mean? What are you talking about?”

Before she could say more, Sebastian’s fingers wrapped around her chin, and he kissed her, his lips claiming hers with a sudden intensity. All her questions were drowned out by the overwhelming force of his kiss.

Stephanie had initially tried to pull away, but when the car’s partition rose, sealing them off from the front, she knew resistance was futile.

Elliot was upfront, making a call to set things in motion. “Take care of Alessio and Cable.”

“I got it,” someone replied on the other end.

Macro’s heart skipped a beat when he heard that. Alessio and Cable had been Richard’s right-hand men for years. If they were taken out, Richard would go ballistic.

He glanced over at Elliot, who had already hung up the phone. “You guys are really trying to push Richard to the edge, huh?”

Elliot tossed the phone onto the dashboard, his tone indifferent. “He’s messed with Stephanie twice. This is a warning.”

Macro gasped in shock. “But Stephanie was once his fiancée.”

At these words, Elliot shot him a cold, hard stare that made Macro’s blood run cold.

Macro immediately clapped a hand over his mouth, wincing. “Oh man, I really need to learn to keep my mouth…”

Before he could say anything else, a hand reached over from behind and smacked him on the back of the head. It stung like hell.

He turned to see Sebastian, who had somehow lowered the partition without him noticing. “I’m sorry, really,” Macro yelped, rubbing his head.

Why can’t I ever think before I speak, Macro thought to himself. Actually, I always feel like Sebastian has swooped in and taken Stephanie away.

“But Richard’s just as clueless. Stephanie and Sebastian clearly have feelings for each other, so why is Richard butting in, acting like he could just waltz in and win her over?”

“Do you like the desert or the sea?” Sebastian just asked.

Macro didn’t even have to think about it. “Neither,” he replied quickly, still smarting from the earlier swim. The last thing he wanted was to give Sebastian any more ammunition.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. Her lips were bright red, and she glared at the back of Macro’s head. “The desert is great,” she said sarcastically. “When your throat is dry and parched, you can’t talk nonsense.”

Macro’s face turned red. He sputtered, trying to come up with a response. “Y–You…” He stopped himself just in time, swallowing the urge to call her a “little brat” and pleading instead, “Please have mercy on me.”