Chapter 242

Chris Ashford was dumbfounded! Catlin’s breathing was slightly unsteady. Seeing that Stephanie was about to leave, Chad panicked completely. “Stefi!”

“What are you standing there for?”

Noticing that Catlin was frozen in place, Chad shot her a furious look. Only then did Catlin snap out of it and hurriedly chase after Stephanie.

By the time she caught up, Stephanie and Sebastian had already reached the entrance. She rushed forward and grabbed Stephanie’s other hand. “Stefi, Mom and Dad need to talk to you.”

The two stopped. Stephanie turned her head slightly, her voice cool. “Mom? Dad?” Her tone, in the cold night air, carried a faint trace of mockery. A tightness gripped Catlin’s chest. She instinctively glanced at the man beside Stephanie, sensing the dangerous aura emanating from him.

Clutching Stephanie’s hand, she subconsciously tightened her grip. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have treated you that way, Stefi.” Stephanie cast her a mocking look. She jerked her arm, trying to pull free, but Catlin refused to let go.

Stephanie raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

Catlin pleaded, “Let’s talk, okay?” At this moment, frustration boiled inside Catlin. She never expected Stephanie to be so capable. Chad and Tyler both insisted that the company’s current crisis was her doing. But how could that be?

Suppressing her displeasure, Catlin forced herself to remain patient. “Is our company’s trouble really because of you?” Even though everyone said so, she still couldn’t believe it. She refused to believe that Stephanie was truly capable of this.

Stephanie smirked. “What do you think?”

Catlin froze. What did she think? Forget it. No matter what, she couldn’t let things spiral further out of control. “Tell me, Stefi—what can I do to let this go?”

Chad had already berated her multiple times today. She just wanted this ordeal to be over. But it was too late… Things had escalated beyond her control.

“What can you do?” Stephanie’s gaze was calm, yet cutting. “Two years ago, when I told you the accident that nearly killed me was orchestrated by Olivia, you asked me the same question—”

“What could you do to make me believe it wasn’t her.”

“Mrs. Hart, you are repaying her debt now.” Stephanie smiled, her expression pure and innocent—yet the words she spoke were utterly chilling. That frail, sickly Olivia was now lying half-dead in a hospital bed, and Stephanie couldn’t even be bothered to lift a finger against her. But what she had suffered, she would always reclaim. Since the Hart family cherished Olivia so much, then surely repaying a bit of her debt was only fair.

Catlin’s breath caught in her throat. “What… what do you mean…?”

Stephanie chuckled coldly, shaking off her grip, then glanced at Sebastian. His expression was as cold as ice. Stephanie turned away. “Let’s go.”

Instinctively, Catlin reached out again, but the two bodyguards immediately blocked her, pulling her away. Getting close to Stephanie was no longer an option. She watched helplessly as Stephanie and Sebastian walked away. Panic surged through Catlin. “Stefi, you can’t do this!”

“I know her presence makes you uncomfortable. We already said that once she recovers, we’ll send her away.” Her desperate voice was swallowed by the darkness. She was only answered by Stephanie’s cold back.

Not until Stephanie and Sebastian disappeared from sight did Elliot and the bodyguards finally release Catlin and Chad. Chris stood frozen, his entire body cold. He had just witnessed the entire spectacle with his own eyes—especially Stephanie’s merciless attitude. He felt numb. The group strutted away. Chad and Catlin looked utterly disheveled.