Chapter 598

In the cozy cafe, Sebastian led Stephanie inside. There, they found Michael, his fingers deftly handling the elegant coffee brewing set Stephanie had brought him. His face was lit up with a smile that spoke volumes.

Stephanie glanced at Sebastian, and he let out a soft, knowing chuckle. “So stubborn,” he murmured.

Earlier, Stephanie had told Sebastian over the phone that Michael seemed unhappy with the gift. But seeing him now, the accusation felt absurd. This was hardly the face of a man displeased.

Sebastian cleared his throat awkwardly, drawing Michael’s attention. The moment Michael saw Stephanie, his smile faded, and he put down the coffee set with a huff.

He said, “Don’t think that just because you brought me this little trinket, I’m going to forgive you for disappearing for three years. Do you have any idea what three years means? It’s not something you can just brush off.”

Stephanie’s lips pursed in a pout. Just moments ago, Michael had seemed fine, and now he was suddenly acting like this. She protested, “But didn’t you just say it was okay?”

Michael snorted, turning away from them. “I only said that to keep Beth from getting upset. But I haven’t forgiven you.”

Stephanie’s eyes twinkled with a mischievous idea. “How about I get you another coffee set? Maybe a bigger one?” She was always one to find a compromise.

Michael’s back remained turned, but his tone softened just a bit.

Stephanie observed the situation and held up three fingers, “Three more? That’s my limit.” She had never bought so many gifts for anyone at once, except for Sebastian. Whether in the past or now, if she saw something suitable for him, she wanted to get it for him.

“Buy it now,” he said.

Stephanie laughed, feeling a wave of relief. She had even saved the store owner’s contact on her phone, ready to place another order. She nodded eagerly. “Deal. I’ll get right on it.”

The tension in the room dissipated, replaced by a warm, familiar ease.

Around noon, they had lunch at Lucano Castle and didn’t leave until after two. Although Beth showed some favoritism between Stephanie and Sofia, she was really nice to Stephanie and gave her lots of good things before they left.

In the car, Sofia sat in the front seat, looking at her phone. “Wow, Mom really does handle everything.”

Stephanie asked, “What did she solve?”

Sofia said, “You know, about you and Sebastian. I was worried that people would gossip about your relationship, but Mom has taken care of everything.”

Stephanie was shocked. Before coming back from Long Harbor, she was worried too, but after seeing Lottie and Beth’s attitude, she wasn’t concerned anymore. Gossip didn’t matter to her. She only cared about what the people she valued thought about her. If Lottie and Beth were against it, then she’d really be upset.

Hearing Sofia say that Lottie took care of everything, Stephanie instinctively asked, “How did she manage that?”

“Didn’t you hear it this morning?” Sebastian gently tousled her hair.

As soon as Stephanie heard about the morning, she remembered that while she was heading downstairs, her mom was on the phone, talking about how she would post something about Stephanie on her social media.

This was Lottie’s solution. By posting this, no one would dare say anything bad about Stephanie. Touched, Stephanie nestled into Sebastian’s arms.

He gently touched her cheek. “What? Are you touched?”

Stephanie nodded, “Yeah.”

She was genuinely moved. Back in Long Harbor, the Hart family had shown her the cold indifference of blood relations—they were family, yet not really, leaving her heartbroken. But the warmth she received from the Giovanni family and the Lucano family was limitless. That was probably why she’d never called Catlin “Mom” or addressed Tyler as her brother while in Long Harbor. Sebastian and Lottie were her family, but the Hart family was not.

Sofia’s phone vibrated. She picked it up. “Hello?”

“Ms. Giovanni, it’s me.” Maxwell’s voice came through the line.

Sofia’s fingers instinctively moved to end the call. She needed to follow her brother’s advice and stay away from Dan’s people.

But Maxwell seemed to sense her hesitation. “My boss got beaten up again,” he blurted out.