Chapter 359

So, with her first kiss gone, she could only grumble about it in private. “So I just lost my first kiss… just like that,” she muttered bitterly.

Stephanie frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“Next time you see him, give him a slap for me,” Ella said, her voice tinged with a mix of anger and resignation.

Stephanie’s lips twitched. “Why don’t you slap him yourself?”

“I don’t dare to do that,” Ella replied simply.

Stephanie sighed. “I wouldn’t dare either.” It was the truth. She’d never risk hitting Lorenzo—he might break her hand.

Ella continued to vent her frustrations over the phone for a while longer before finally letting Stephanie go.

She hung up the phone. By now, Sebastian and the others were already on the cruise ship. Stephanie leaned in closer to him, her brow furrowed with curiosity. “Hey, do you think Lorenzo’s taste has changed or something?”

Sebastian glanced at her. “Tell Ella not to take it too seriously.”

Stephanie frowned. “But that was Ella’s first kiss.”

Sebastian shrugged, his tone dismissive. “There are plenty of women who’d give anything for their first kiss to be with Lorenzo.”

Stephanie felt a pang of irritation. ‘What’s he implying? That Ella should feel honored? No way. I just don’t get it. Lorenzo is so cold and distant. So why do so many women from all over the world seem to like him?’

As Stephanie passed by a doorway, she caught the low, rhythmic sounds of a man and a woman. Her body tensed instantly, and her steps faltered awkwardly.

Sebastian, holding her hand, felt her fingers go rigid. He glanced down at her with a teasing smirk. “Wanna take a look?” he murmured.

Stephanie’s face flushed a deep red. She shook her head vigorously. “No way,” she insisted, her voice barely above a whisper.

She used to be clueless about such noises, but now, after Sebastian’s “lessons,” even someone as innocent as she was had to understand what was happening.

Sebastian chuckled softly, leaning in to whisper in her ear, “Trust me, it’s not as exciting as what we do.”

Stephanie’s eyes widened with shyness, and she sputtered, “You…” Seriously, she felt he could be so infuriating.

Macro, who had been trailing behind, chimed in with his usual nosiness. “What are you two whispering about? Is it about that couple? I want in on the secret.”

Stephanie’s exasperation was palpable. ‘Why is he always around?’

Sebastian turned and shot Macro a cold, dismissive stare.

Macro immediately shut up, realizing that in this situation, sticking his nose in could get him into serious trouble. He decided it was best to keep quiet about anything related to Stephanie from now on.

Ignoring Macro, Sebastian simply tightened his grip on Stephanie’s hand and led her away.

As they walked, Stephanie couldn’t help but glance back. There was Macro, still peeking through the door they had just passed.

She sighed inwardly, ‘Why can’t he just leave things alone?’

Elliot, who had been walking ahead, turned back and grabbed Macro, pulling him along.

Stepping through the door, Stephanie was greeted by a blast of heat and the rhythmic roar of waves crashing against the shore.

She glanced up and saw a man in a black robe, swinging a golf club with practiced ease. Ocean golf was Sebastian’s domain, and he was a master at it.

At the far end, a line of women in bikinis stood poised. As soon as the man’s swing sent the golf ball arcing into the sea, one of the women dove in without hesitation, swimming toward the ball’s trajectory.

Stephanie’s eyes widened. ‘Really? Hot ladies fetch it? That ball must’ve gone pretty far,’ she muttered under her breath.

She glanced at Sebastian, clearly feeling a mix of fascination and discomfort. Growing up in the Lucano family, she had rarely been exposed to such extravagance. Sebastian had always kept her somewhat sheltered from the more ostentatious displays of wealth.

Seeing it now, she couldn’t help but marvel, ‘Wow, they really know how to live it up.’

Sebastian glanced down, catching her gaze. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his tone light but curious.

“Those women have incredible stamina,” Stephanie remarked dryly. The sight of someone swimming after a golf ball felt absurd, yet somehow fitting in this world—Money really could make anything happen.

Sebastian chuckled softly, bending down to murmur in her ear, “Once we’re back in Fiorenza, if you run for two hours every day, you’ll have that kind of stamina too.”

Without thinking, Stephanie reached out and grabbed his waist, a small but defiant gesture to vent her frustration.

Sebastian caught her hand gently, his fingers wrapping around hers. “Look at this hand. Quite good strength,” he said, his voice soft but teasing.

Stephanie’s mind raced. ‘What is he even implying? What’s with that tone?’