“He’s in the study. Dr. Vitale and Mr. Hogg are here,” Henry replied.

Stephanie nodded, not bothering to ask anything else. She just wanted to lie down for a bit. She had an overnight flight later, and no matter how much she slept on the plane, it was never as good as being in her own bed.

As she reached the stairs, Sebastian came down with Job and Macro trailing behind. Sebastian glanced at Stephanie and said to Macro, “Check on Stefi.”

Macro looked confused. “What’s up with her?”

“Haven’t seen her eat much lately,” Sebastian said. “She barely touched her lunch or the snacks she brought back.”

After giving Macro the heads-up, Sebastian turned to Stephanie and gently ruffled her hair. “I’m heading out for a bit,” he said.

When Stephanie heard that Sebastian was heading out with Job again, she grabbed his wrist. “We’re still going back to Fiorenza tonight, right? No more changes?”

She couldn’t deal with any more changes. Tessa would be a wreck on the phone if they kept shifting plans. And Stephanie was genuinely worried about her. Even if Lorenzo wouldn’t hurt Tessa, the constant fear could tear Tessa apart. Stephanie was determined to get back as soon as possible.

Sebastian smiled reassuringly. “No more changes. We’re good.”

“Alright,” Stephanie said, letting go of his wrist. “Go ahead.”

Sebastian nodded and left with Job. He was always busy.

As soon as Sebastian disappeared through the door, Stephanie turned to Macro. “Is everything sorted with Lancelot?”

In Fiorenza, only Lancelot would dare to mess with Sebastian.

When Stephanie mentioned Lancelot, Macro stopped short. Then, with a grave look, he said, “There won’t be any Lancelot left in this world.”

Stephanie’s eyes widened. She’d figured Lancelot was asking for trouble when she heard he’d crossed Sebastian. Now it proved that she was right.

Macro glanced at her. “You feeling sick anywhere?”

Stephanie shook her head. “Not really sick, just no appetite.” Lately, food just hadn’t tasted as good as it used to—especially in the evenings, when she used to relish every bite.

Macro frowned. “No appetite? Is your stomach bloated?”

“A little,” Stephanie admitted. Even without eating much, her stomach felt a bit off.

Macro paused, studying her thoughtfully.

Stephanie squirmed under his gaze. “It’s not something serious, is it?”

She felt a pang of anxiety. Being scrutinized like that by a doctor would make anyone uneasy. She was still young and didn’t want to hear anything major.

Macro shook his head. “No way it’s anything serious.”

Stephanie frowned. “Then why the look? It’s not like I have some rare disease just because I’m not hungry,” she thought to herself.

Macro paused, then said, “I’ll get you some granules to try.”

“Granules?” Stephanie repeated, confused.

“Stomach protein. You know, the stuff Sebastian used to give you,” Macro replied.

Stephanie remembered it now. She’d had it once in the hospital—it was sweet and tangy, and it tasted pretty good.

Macro didn’t think much of the bloating, but he had a nagging feeling something wasn’t quite right. He couldn’t put his finger on it yet, so he figured he’d let her try the medicine first.

“Then give it to me later,” Stephanie said, then turned and started heading upstairs.

“What are you up to?” Macro asked, following her.

“Going to sleep. What else?” She didn’t turn around.

“You’ve been sleeping a lot lately,” he noted. It seemed like Stephanie was always catching some Z’s these days.

Macro’s comment made Stephanie stop on the stairs.