Chapter 486
Ella heard the sound of vomiting coming from the kitchen, and her already worried face grew even stiffer. She thought, ‘Is it that bad?’
In the kitchen, Bernard struggled to endure but eventually couldn’t. He leaned over the trash can and started throwing up. He thought, ‘Why is it so disgusting?’
Ella was speechless. Cecil and Eric exchanged a glance, then quietly turned away; they were usually the ones to help Bernard. Even now, they didn’t dare step forward. They thought, “The timing seemed off again. Mr. Moretti didn’t have a partner, so we barged in without thinking. But we can’t do that anymore. Next time we want to see Mr. Moretti, we should consider if he might be with someone. It’s bothersome.”
At this moment, Ella’s heart was pounding. She instinctively glanced at Lorenzo, then at her bowl, and finally at the untouched pasta Lorenzo had pushed to her. Ella thought, “Why is Bernard’s stomach so sensitive? He kept making gagging noises in the kitchen. After just one bite, how many times has he thrown up already?”
Ella swallowed, put down her fork and bowl, and looked at Lorenzo pitifully. “I’m full. Can I go upstairs now?”
Lorenzo narrowed his eyes at her. Ella sniffled, her eyes red as she looked at him, clearly scared once more. Lorenzo squinted and thought, ‘With such a timid spirit, how could she manage? I hadn’t even done anything, yet she was so terrified. Stefi’s friend was so inexperienced?’
Seeing Lorenzo’s silence, Ella sniffled again and gathered the courage to ask once more, “Can I?”
Fortunately, this time Lorenzo didn’t make things difficult. He nodded and said, “Go ahead.”
Hearing Lorenzo’s words, Ella felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She stood up almost instinctively and hurried upstairs. As soon as she returned to her room and shut the door, she instinctively locked it and called Stephanie.
Stephanie, currently in the Shallow Bay Area, felt a pang of sympathy when she saw the call from Ella. Within just a couple of days, she had already figured it out: if Ella was calling her, it usually meant Lorenzo had scared her again.
Stephanie picked up the phone. “Ella, don’t worry. I’ll return tonight. There shouldn’t be any more unexpected issues.” Earlier, Sebastian had already started packing things up.
Ella cried into the phone, “Stefi,” her voice choked with sobs.
Stephanie patiently comforted her, “Alright, I know you’re scared. I’ll come and get you soon, and then wherever I go, you’ll go with me, okay?”
Stephanie thought about it and realized it wasn’t wise to leave Ella with Lorenzo. She remembered witnessing Sebastian doing something terrible in the past. The scene had scared her so much that she became withdrawn, and for a long time afterward, she often had nightmares. Ella had never experienced such violent scenes growing up. Her previously peaceful world was suddenly chaotic, and it must have been a huge emotional burden for her.
Stephanie coaxed gently, “Don’t cry; you can be sure Lorenzo won’t do anything to you.” Lorenzo usually had a stern look and didn’t say much, which made him genuinely intimidating.
Since Stephanie personally asked Lorenzo to look after Ella, he was going to keep her safe. So Stephanie felt comfortable letting Ella stay with him. However, she hadn’t expected so many incidents around Ella once she was with Lorenzo.
Chapter 486
All this made Ella, who was already struggling to accept her suddenly chaotic world, feel even worse, especially since all those unexpected events were bad. Stephanie decided to take Ella under her wing as soon as she got back.
Ella asked, “Really?”