Chapter 283

Now it was just Stephanie and Sebastian. Sebastian glanced at her. “If you keep lowering your head, your face might get stuck in the plate.”

Stephanie was speechless. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with resentment. But Sebastian was smiling, all traces of his earlier coldness gone. “Come here,” he said.

Stephanie walked over and sat beside him. Sebastian reached out and started to untie her scarf. She grabbed it. “What are you doing, Sebastian?”

Stephanie thought, I can’t let him take it off. If everyone sees it, they’ll ask questions like Macro did. How can I explain then?

Sebastian looked at her. “Do you think hiding it will make it go unnoticed?”

Stephanie was lost for words.

“So, everyone knows now?” she asked, her eyes pleading. If everyone knew, the news would surely reach Fiorenza soon. Once her mother and Sofia found out, the consequences would be unimaginable. Stephanie’s mind spun with worry. She tugged at Sebastian’s shirt. He was putting a sandwich on her plate. Feeling her movement, he smiled, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m scared,” she muttered, telling the truth. She was really scared, especially about how to explain things to her mother. Sebastian took a sip of his milk. “Didn’t I tell you what to say?”

“Just say it was your idea?” she asked, looking at him.

Sebastian looked at her. His deep, inscrutable eyes were like a vast universe.

Stephanie swallowed hard. “Should I really say that? It’ll ruin your reputation.” She looked down again, feeling anxious.

For years, she had kept her feelings hidden, partly because she didn’t want to tarnish the reputations of the Lucano and Giovanni families. Technically, she and Sebastian had no blood relation. But in name, they were siblings, and that was how everyone saw them. Every time her mother took Stephanie to meet those ladies or to hang out, she’d introduce Stephanie as her youngest daughter.

Thinking about this connection over the years always made Stephanie feel suffocated.

Sebastian gently lifted her chin with his finger and kissed her lips softly. “Who do you think would dare?” he said, his tone confident and domineering.

Stephanie’s heart skipped a beat, and her eyes welled up. He kissed the corners of her eyes. “Don’t you trust me, Stefi?”

“No, it’s not that. I…” Stephanie hesitated.

“Nobody in Fiorenza has the right to question the Lucano family’s business,” he said firmly.

Stephanie felt another jolt in her heart. He was right. No one in Fiorenza had the right to interfere. If Sebastian could do what he did, no one would dare say a word.

She sniffled and looked into his eyes. “What if Sofia asks? Should I say that?”

Sebastian tweaked her earlobe and smiled, “Sure.”

“When did it start?” she asked.

“Huh?” Sebastian didn’t know what she was asking.

“When were you into me?” Stephanie asked again.

Thinking about the time he pretended to be drunk, she couldn’t forgive him. He had terrified her back then, leaving her heart in turmoil every time he touched her. Hiding her feelings was hard enough. With the marks he left on her, it became even trickier. And yet, he had known all along and teased her.

She wanted to bite him again but stopped when she saw the mark on his neck.