Chapter 350

Stephanie was starving, craving something sweet. But Sebastian would never let her have ice cream, worried it would upset her stomach. She’d probably end up whining about a stomachache later. Instead, someone brewed her a pot of coffee. Stephanie clutched a mug bigger than her face and drank half of it before finally feeling full.

“When are we taking off?” Stephanie asked, glancing at Sebastian.

Just then, Elliot walked over. “Sir.”

Sebastian checked his watch. “When will we take off?”

“There’s been an incident at the airport. Some unknown group has stormed in, and the whole place is in chaos,” Elliot reported.

Stephanie’s eyebrows shot up. She stared at Elliot, completely shocked. “Chaos? What do you mean, chaos?”

“The police are currently engaged in a firefight with the intruders. It’ll be a while before we can take off,” Elliot explained.

Stephanie’s jaw dropped. Seriously? She’d lived here for a long time, and Long Harbor was supposed to be super safe. How could something like this happen? A thought crossed her mind, and she turned to Sebastian. “Could it be Richard?”

“You think he’d dare cause trouble here?” Sebastian asked.

“I think he might not be what you guys think he is,” Stephanie said hesitantly. Ever since Sebastian arrived in Long Harbor, she’d picked up bits and pieces from Macro’s comments. Richard’s situation seemed dire in their eyes—like he was on the run, living in utter ruin. But what Stephanie had seen in Paginara was completely different. If anything, it seemed like Richard had the entire Paginara under his control.

Macro chimed in, “Then what’s his motive for causing trouble here? He failed to steal you, so now he’s just going to openly kidnap you?”

Stephanie wanted to strangle him.

Macro continued, “If he wanted to kidnap you, he would’ve done it in Paginara. Why come all the way to Long Harbor and stir up this mess?” Long Harbor’s power dynamics were already complicated. If Richard really caused trouble here, it would only bring him more problems. Dealing with Sebastian alone had been enough of a headache for him. Why would he come to Long Harbor and make things worse?

Stephanie shot back, “In your mind, is everything about some dramatic love story? Are you that obsessed with romance?” Macro must’ve been daydreaming about some epic love saga. If he wanted to experience a whirlwind romance, he should just go find a woman instead of spinning wild theories.

Macro grinned. “Isn’t it exciting, though?”

Stephanie gave him a look that screamed, “You’re an idiot,” and decided to stop talking. Talking to him was like talking to a brick wall.

Macro could tell Stephanie was mentally calling him crazy. Sebastian tapped his fingers on the table and then turned to Elliot. “Take off now.”

“Take off now? Without clearance from the tower or air traffic control? Are you insane or just suicidal?” Macro jumped up, horrified. The airport was in chaos, and not just on the ground. The airspace was probably a mess too, with no one directing traffic.

Elliot glanced at Macro. “Relax, Mr. Vitale. We have an advanced system.”

Macro’s eye twitched. “I want to get off this plane.”

Lorenzo smacked the back of his head. “You wanna go down there and catch a bullet?”

Macro thought. What kind of luck do I have? Sebastian’s a lunatic. Taking off without air traffic control? Is he out of his mind? But then he glanced at Stephanie, calmly sipping her coffee beside him, and felt a little better. Sebastian might not care about their lives, but he’d never risk Stephanie’s.

With that thought, Macro settled down. Elliot signaled to the flight attendant. “Close the cabin. We’re taking off.”

The attendant nodded and said respectfully, “Okay.”

Elliot went to make arrangements. Less than a minute later, the attendant gasped and took a step back, her voice tense. “Who are you? You can’t be here. Get off the plane.”

“Please, help me! They’re killing people!” came Ella’s panicked voice.

Stephanie froze, then shot to her feet. She turned and saw Ella at the cabin door, being ushered off by the attendant.

“Ella?” Stephanie called out.

Ella was pleading with the attendant, begging to stay on the plane. The outside was a nightmare. Hearing Stephanie’s voice, she stiffened and slowly turned her head.