Chapter 243

Even Chad, who was always meticulously groomed, appeared a little disordered. He turned to Catlin and gritted his teeth. “You… you—” He wanted to say that they should sever all ties with Olivia once and for all. It was obvious that Stephanie was furious because of her. But then his eyes fell on Chris, and he swallowed the words. After all, he knew exactly how Chris felt about Olivia. Even though Fred had recently distanced himself from the Hart family, Chris might still be their key to continued cooperation.

Catlin was livid. “How could she—how could she be like this?”

Chad scoffed. “Isn’t it your fault? If you had treated her better when you brought her back, none of this would have happened.”

Already seething, Catlin snapped. “When was I ever bad to her? Did I mistreat her from the start? Did she ever appreciate my kindness?”

Chris, chilled to the bone, turned and left without another word. Kevin quickly followed. Behind them, the argument between Chad and Catlin grew even fiercer. Kevin hesitated before speaking. “Sir, what should we do now?”

Mr. Ashford had given strict orders—Chris had to resolve the issue with Mr. Giovanni. But just now… Kevin recalled how Sebastian had completely disregarded Chris. It was a major business deal, yet he had left just because Stephanie had said she was tired.

Chris halted, closing his eyes briefly. “What else can we do? Right now, Stephanie…” He paused for a moment. Because when it came to Stephanie—he had no answer. Right now, everything depended on her.

A low buzz sounded as the phone vibrated—an email had just arrived. The sender was Steve, who worked for Fred. Chris tapped it open and took a glance. The moment he saw the contents, his pupils contracted sharply, and even his breathing tightened. Kevin noticed his sudden rigidity and instinctively asked, “What’s wrong?”

Chris’s knuckles had turned white from gripping his phone. His breath came in short bursts as he spoke. “Stephanie… grew up in the Lucano family?”

Kevin was stunned. “What?”

No, that… Wasn’t she supposed to have grown up in the countryside? Wasn’t it said that she had been taken in by some rural folks and raised in a crude, unsophisticated manner?

Well… “Is this information accurate?” Kevin asked reflexively. If she grew up in the Lucano family, then wouldn’t that mean she and Mr. Giovanni… were siblings? Mr. Giovanni’s sister? Kevin’s brain just short-circuited.

Chris stared at him with narrowed eyes. “It’s from Steve.”

Kevin fell silent. That meant the old Ashford himself had investigated it. Then there was no doubt—it had to be true. Then what about all the previous conflicts between Chris and Mr. Giovanni?

“Sir, all those clashes you had with Mr. Giovanni, and the things you said…” At this point, Kevin couldn’t bring himself to continue. Looking at it now, what was all of that for? After all that hostility, it turned out Mr. Giovanni was actually Stephanie’s brother?

Chris’s breathing grew unsteady. “Enough.” His already dark expression turned completely stormy. Back at Cloudridge Valley, and even outside her studio, what had he said to them? He had insulted Stephanie outright, throwing out accusations about their “dirty” relationship. Chris raked a hand through his hair, his mind a tangled mess. So what stupid things did he do before?!

Wooden Villa. The moment he stepped inside, Sebastian pulled Stephanie into a tight hold, gripping her petite shoulders. His grip was firm, his eyes solemn. Stephanie’s heart clenched under his intense gaze. “W—what’s wrong?”

Sebastian demanded, “You got into a car accident when you came to Long Harbor?”