Chapter 402

“It’s only been a few days, but why do Ella and Lorenzo seem to be acting so strangely around each other?” Stephanie wondered.

Ella said, “He said I’m just a magnet for trouble and a danger to myself.”

“He actually said that to you?” Stephanie pressed her lips together. How could he say that to a girl? And Ella isn’t the type to just let things slide. Wasn’t she angry about it? Wait, maybe she’s too scared to react. After all, she seems a little intimidated by Lorenzo now, she thought.

“He’s not entirely wrong,” Ella replied. It felt like she had suddenly become an easy target, with nowhere she truly fit in.

Hearing the sudden sadness in Ella’s voice, Stephanie wanted to offer some comfort. But before she could speak, Ella quickly said, “Stefi, I can’t reach my mom right now, and Emily is missing too. I have no clue what’s going on, but a lot of people are after me now.”

Stephanie was taken aback into silence—Ella’s once-peaceful life as a little princess had just fallen apart.

Ella sighed, “Lorenzo’s right. I’m just a troublemaker now, aren’t I?”

Stephanie disagreed. “Don’t talk about yourself like that. What happened with your mom? I’ll get Sebastian to check it out. If you don’t want to stay with Lorenzo, I can have Sebastian send someone to pick you up.”

“Stefi,” Ella hesitated.

Stephanie simply asked, “Do you want it or not?”

“Yes,” Ella quickly replied. Even though she knew she was causing problems, her heart couldn’t handle being around Lorenzo.

Stephanie chuckled softly. “That’s the spirit.”

“Am I bothering you too much?” Ella asked. After all, Stephanie was just Lottie’s adopted daughter. Ella was genuinely worried about causing her trouble and upsetting the Giovanni family.

Understanding Ella’s concerns, Stephanie immediately reassured, “Don’t worry, you won’t.”

They exchanged a few more words over the phone before hanging up. Stephanie decided she would tell Sebastian when he got back and ask him to send someone to pick up Ella and help her settle into their villa.

‘Poor Ella. She had never dealt with such chaos before, and she must be really scared this time,’ she thought.

On the other end of the line, Ella had managed to stay calm while talking to Stephanie. However, once she was alone, her face turned pale—clearly shocked.

She tried hard to scroll through her phone, hoping to distract herself. But that constant “rat-a-tat” sound kept echoing in her head, making her shiver uncontrollably. She didn’t want to trouble Stephanie, but she was too frightened of Lorenzo. She kept calling Andrea and Emily, but couldn’t get through to them. Eventually, the fear took its toll, and Ella developed a fever.

As Lorenzo and the others left the study and passed by the room where Ella was staying, Lorenzo paused. He told the others, “Keep a close eye on the Dohrn family.”

“Understood,” the group nodded. They had worked openly this time, so the Dohrn family knew it was them who had acted. If the family wasn’t happy about it, there would definitely be follow-up actions.

Eric and the others noticed Lorenzo had no intention of going downstairs, so they left first. When the three of them got downstairs, Bernard, who hadn’t spoken yet, asked Eric, “Did Lorenzo bring back a woman?”

Eric rolled his eyes at him. “Are you blind? With hair that long, do you think it’s a man?”

Bernard’s eyes widened in shock.

Eric finished talking and walked off.

Cecil patted Bernard on the shoulder, saying, “Work more, gossip less.”

“Aren’t you curious?” Bernard asked.