Chapter 453

There was a hint of relief in Ella’s tone when she said that. Right now, she didn’t want to be in the same room as Lorenzo. Just then, Sebastian came back. Seeing him, Stephanie quickly said to Ella, “I’ll call you later,” and hung up.

Sebastian seemed to have been drinking. As soon as Stephanie hung up the phone, she walked over to him. Elliot, who was supporting Sebastian, respectfully said to her, “Ms. Giovanni, Mr. Giovanni had a bit to drink.”

“Alright, I understand,” Stephanie replied. She took Sebastian from Elliot’s arms and helped him herself. There was a faint scent of alcohol on him, but Stephanie didn’t find it unpleasant. Now she kind of understood—no matter how much she hated the smell of smoke or alcohol, if those scents clung to someone she liked, it felt completely different.

Elliot picked up the bag he’d been carrying and set it down on the coffee table. “These are some snacks Mr. Giovanni brought back for you.”

“What snacks?” Stephanie asked. Even though Sebastian had called earlier to say he’d bring her something tasty, she hadn’t really expected him to follow through. Now she was a little curious about what he’d chosen.

“Chestnut cake,” Elliot replied. “Mr. Giovanni tried it and said you’d definitely like it, so he brought some back.”

Stephanie was surprised. Back when she was in Fiorenza, she’d really liked chestnut cake. But after moving to Long Harbor, she found the desserts here far too sweet and had mostly lost interest in them. But if Sebastian had tasted this one and thought she’d like it, Stephanie figured it must be different from the overly sugary sweets she was used to in Long Harbor.

After a moment, Elliot excused himself and left. Stephanie helped Sebastian over to the sofa and sat him down. Just as she was about to stand up, Sebastian’s broad hand wrapped around her waist.

Before Stephanie could react, Sebastian pulled her down firmly onto his lap. Startled, she instinctively threw her arms around his neck. “What are you doing?”

Sebastian’s breath carried the faint scent of alcohol as he leaned his forehead against hers. Their warm breaths mingled in the small space between them.

“I’ll go make you some black coffee,” Stephanie said softly. She was also planning to get him a warm towel for his chest—otherwise, he’d be uncomfortable when he woke up tomorrow morning.

But Sebastian’s warm palm cupped her cheek gently. “Stefi,” he murmured.

“I’m here,” Stephanie replied obediently, her tone soft.

Sebastian smiled. “That’s nice.” Usually calm and composed, he now looked as satisfied as a child simply because she had responded.

Stephanie asked, “What’s nice?”

“That Stefi is mine,” he said.

Stephanie was speechless for a second, thinking, ‘Fine. I’m his, but he’s also mine.’

Ella’s stomach let out an audible growl after Stephanie abruptly hung up on her. She figured she’d take advantage of Lorenzo’s absence and sneak into the kitchen to find something to eat. If she could finish dinner before that terrifying man came back, she wouldn’t have to face him at all.

But just as she stepped out of her room, the cook hurried over to her. “Ms. Turner, you’d better come take a look. Mr. Moretti’s been injured.”

Ella’s eyelid twitched hard. “What? Where is he?”

“Downstairs,” the cook replied.

Ella hesitated. She wasn’t close to Lorenzo, so she didn’t understand why she was the one being asked to check on him. Still, she remembered how, back at the Long Harbor airport, Lorenzo—despite being mean—had at least saved her. After a moment of internal struggle, she decided to go.

“Why hasn’t anyone taken him to the hospital if he’s hurt?” Ella asked as she followed the cook down the stairs.

“I don’t know,” the cook said. She was just a temp, and the sight of all that blood had already scared her half to death.

As soon as Ella reached the ground floor, she saw a doctor working to stop Lorenzo’s bleeding. “We need to move him to the operating room. The bullet’s still lodged in the flesh.”

Ella froze when she heard the word “bullet.” She couldn’t even begin to imagine what Lorenzo had gotten himself into after he left the house. It was starting to feel like whether or not one came back safe around here was purely a matter of luck—and the odds weren’t exactly in his or her favor. Just thinking about it made Ella want to break down. She told herself not to go anywhere with Lorenzo from now on. It was way too dangerous. She wasn’t about to risk running into trouble just because of him.

When Lorenzo saw Ella, he narrowed his eyes slightly. “Come here.”

“You should go to the operating room first,” Ella replied reluctantly. She hadn’t realized this villa even had an operating room—it wasn’t exactly a mansion.

Seeing the blood soaking through Lorenzo’s left shoulder, Ella felt a wave of dizziness. She’d never been good with the sight of blood, and now she didn’t even dare to take a step closer. Lorenzo’s entire presence radiated danger, and Ella’s legs were so weak with fear that she couldn’t move any closer even if she wanted to.