Chapter 466
Stephanie was genuinely sleep-drunk. Without waiting for Ella to say anything more, she hung up the phone. With Sebastian around these days, her sleep quality had been exceptionally good. She turned over, hugged his lean waist, and nestled closer. Sebastian was slightly awakened by the movement. Recognizing the familiar scent, he instinctively pulled Stephanie closer and closed his eyes contentedly once more. That sense of fulfillment, of having one's desires finally met, was something only those hopelessly in love could truly understand.
“Sebastian…” Stephanie murmured sleepily.
Sebastian pulled her even closer and softly coaxed, “Come on, go back to sleep.”
At the Ashford residence, Olivia had been unceremoniously thrown out. The humiliation weighed heavily on her heart. This experience had made her realize, once and for all, that there was absolutely no possibility between her and Chris. The maid helped her sit back in her wheelchair. “Ms. Hart, let’s go home.” The maid was clearly annoyed at having to deal with Olivia in the middle of the night, especially after seeing Grace. The servants’ wages for the month hadn’t been paid due to the recent troubles of the Hart family. This had made the maid less willing to accompany Olivia on such a futile errand.
Olivia, already upset from the humiliation, found an outlet for her rage. “Go back? Go back yourself if you want. I’m not leaving until I see Chris,” she insisted, even after being thrown out. The maid’s face darkened at Olivia’s outburst. “Fine, I’ll go back,” she retorted, unwilling to stay in the cold any longer. Olivia’s expression froze in disbelief. “What did you say?” she demanded, unable to believe that even a maid would dare speak to her this way.
The maid replied firmly, “Ms. Hart, please understand that it’s a different era now. I am a maid, but I work for wages, not as a slave to the Hart family. You can’t expect free service without pay.” Olivia’s breathing grew more and more labored as she listened.
When Chris arrived, he saw Olivia grabbing the maid. From inside the car, he couldn’t hear their conversation, but their expressions indicated some sort of argument. Kevin’s face went ashen upon seeing Olivia there. He instinctively wanted to speed up and get Chris away from her, as he didn’t want Chris and Olivia to get entangled again. Lately, Kevin’s life had been difficult; every time Chris met with Olivia, he was the one who got scolded.
However, as they passed Olivia, Chris spoke up coldly, “Stop the car.”
Kevin said, “Mrs. Ashford doesn’t want you to continue involving yourself with Ms. Hart.”
“Stop the car,” Chris repeated, his tone calm but firm. Kevin dared not argue further and stopped the car beside Olivia. Olivia was still arguing with the maid, who had had enough and was even willing to leave without her wages. Olivia, on the other hand, was insisting that the servant take her home first. The moment the car stopped, Olivia saw that it was Chris’s vehicle and instinctively withdrew her hand.
Just moments ago, she had been hysterically arguing with the maid. Now, with the car window half-lowered and Chris’s face visible inside, she immediately put on a pitiful expression.
“Chris,” she called out.
Chris glanced at her coldly. “Here to see me?” he asked.
“Yes,” Olivia nodded, her eyes welling up with a sense of grievance. She thought, ‘Where had Chris been at this hour? It seems he had been enjoying himself without me. Men usually come home late for a reason, and the smell of alcohol wafting from the car definitely isn’t from Kevin.’ Olivia sniffed back her tears, feeling wronged. “Where have you been so late? Why are you just getting back now?”
Chris’s response was curt and businesslike. “Let’s talk about the real issue,” he said, his tone icy, which only made Olivia feel more suffocated. His formal manner was unmistakable; he was clearly impatient with her. She couldn’t even ask where he had been without being met with such coldness. Despite the anger building up inside her, Olivia forced herself to swallow it and asked, her lips trembling, “You’ve seen what happened with my mom, right?”