Chapter 332

Stephanie thought that once Richard left, everything would be over. But she didn't expect him to send a maid to share the room with her. From what Stephanie could tell, the maid even knew some fighting skills.

After dealing with Richard, Stephanie took a shower again. When she came out, she saw the maid carrying a blanket to the couch.

“Sorry to bother you, Ms. Giovanni,” the maid said respectfully.

Stephanie’s irritation flared. She knew Richard was seriously trying to keep an eye on her. “I don’t share a bed with anyone,” she said flatly.

“You’ll have to talk to Mr. Casalini about that,” the maid replied.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. She wasn’t in the mood to have a pleasant chat with him. She dried her hair, tossed the towel aside, and climbed into bed.

Seeing her settle down, the maid finally relaxed. “This troublemaker almost caused an accident at the other villa earlier. Now she’s finally quieting down,” she thought. She quietly reported back to Richard before lying down herself.

Meanwhile, Richard stood in his room, his robe half-open, holding a glass—a lump under the blanket on the bed—no sign of Stephanie. Of wine. The photo from the maid showed a small…

He knew exactly what was going on. She was hiding under the blanket, clearly unhappy with his plan. A cold smile spread across his face. “We’ve come this far, and she still thinks she can pull this stunt?”

Theodore Casalini glanced at his phone, clearly uneasy. “You actually brought Stephanie back?” He couldn’t hide his discomfort.

‘Sebastian dotes on his little sister as if she’s the center of his world. I was wondering what Richard was up to this time, and it turns out he tried to take Stephanie away from Sebastian again. Just asking for trouble,’ Theodore thought.

Seeing Richard act like nothing was wrong, Theodore was about to lose it. “Kidnapping Sofia would have been one thing, but why did you have to kidnap Stephanie? Are you actually considering that engagement promise Mr. Giovanni casually made years ago?”

When Sebastian’s dad was still around, he mentioned that Stephanie should marry Richard when she grew up. It became a real sore spot for Sebastian. Stephanie was practically raised by Sebastian, so of course, he didn’t want someone else deciding her future.

Richard laughed it off and drained his glass of red wine. “So you think the words of an elder are just a joke?”

Theodore chimed in, “Didn’t Sebastian say it was just a joke later on?”

Richard shot him a look. “Is he even an elder to Stephanie?”

Theodore hesitated, feeling uneasy about Richard’s attitude. “Look, don’t rush into anything. You know how Sebastian feels about Stephanie, right?”

Sebastian was the jealous type—if someone even looked at her, he’d want to rip their eyes out. And now Richard had taken her away without telling anyone. This was definitely going to blow up in their faces.

“Your main focus should be getting that item from Sebastian. Once you have it, you’ll give her back to him, right?”

Theodore was thinking about the document Richard wanted to retrieve from Sebastian. It seemed like a fair trade, but with Richard, things were never that simple.

Richard raised an eyebrow. “Give her back?”

Theodore shook his head. “No way. You’re not seriously planning to keep her, are you? Richard, I’m warning you…” But at that point, Theodore was completely at a loss for words.

Everyone in Fiorenza knew Stephanie could be Sebastian’s breaking point. When someone’s weakness was out in the open, nobody dared to mess with it. But Richard was the first to take action.

“Have you forgotten how Sebastian has been chasing you all these years?” Theodore asked.

Richard had been on the run for years because Sebastian interfered in everything he did—all because he’d once made a move on Stephanie. To Theodore, Richard seemed to be digging his own grave by taking what he wanted without giving Stephanie back.

Richard leaned back in his chair. “If it wasn’t like that, how would the Casalini family be ruined?”

Theodore shuddered. Just mentioning the Casalini family gave him a chill. “Your dad was really heartless to you,” he said quietly.

Richard put down his wine glass without a word. As he reached for his phone, he heard a faint thud, but he didn’t think much of it.

Theodore kept talking, trying to get through to Richard. “Look, don’t mess with Sebastian. You’re at a crucial point right now. You need to stay cool.”

Richard seemed to be listening, but maybe not. He kept drinking, his mind fixed on the marks on Stephanie’s neck. As he recalled the rumors he’d heard earlier, his eyes turned colder.

Meanwhile, Stephanie had knocked the maid out, grabbed her phone, and changed clothes. Then she quietly made her way to the study. When she arrived, she’d scoped out the villa and saw Richard heading into the study. Her room was right next to his, so she tiptoed as quietly as she could.