Chapter 490

Claire’s brow furrowed. It was unusual; he hadn’t really talked to Chris before showing a p here.

She hadn’t spent much time in the country over the past couple of years, so she was pretty out of the loop when it came to her family’s drama.

Hearing Stephanie’s tone, Claire felt a pang in her chest. She knew Chris had feelings for Olivia. Even though she hadn’t been around, she’d pieced together some details from the reports—like how Olivia had almost killed Stephanie.

Claire took a deep breath and said, “Olivia was raised by the Hart family. The issues between you and her are the Hart family’s business, right?” She figured a family matter should be handled privately, not turned into public drama.

Stephanie nodded. “Yeah, it’s a family matter, but Chris has been keeping it all under wraps, holding back all the evidence. He’s involved. So Claire, is he really innocent?”

The car accident was huge. When she realized Olivia was behind it, she lost it—went all-out to get revenge and some solid evidence. But back then, nobody gave a damn. Tyler even hired a hitman to take out Stephanie to cover Olivia’s tracks. And Chris was in on it too. Calling Chris her fiancé for the past two years was just a front. He was nothing more than a pawn to keep Fiorenza at bay.

Claire’s eyes widened. “So you’re saying he knows Olivia was the one who caused the accident?”

Stephanie laughed. “Go ask him who Phantom X is.”

Claire’s heart skipped a beat. Phantom X was a world-famous hitman who never messed up a job.

She was confused. “You’re saying he hired Phantom X to take you out? But why are you—”

“You want to know why I’m still alive, huh?” Stephanie interrupted. “Because I was raised by the Lucano family.”

More importantly, Phantom X and she were friends. They’d actually hired Phantom X to take Stephanie out. If it weren’t for her connection to him, she’d be dead. Phantom X had turned on them and told her everything. Their cruelty was the root of her deep-seated bitterness toward the Harts and Chris.

“Tyler is reeling from Catlin’s drama. Amidst all the chaos, he finally realizes that I’m his sister? And Claire thought Chris was innocent? That was something Claire’s blind loyalty couldn’t figure out,” she sneered inwardly.

Claire’s face twisted in anger. “That jerk Chris… How could he do this to you?”

Stephanie blinked, confused by her reaction.

Claire’s fury boiled over. She jumped up, her face blazing. “I’m going back right now to tear him apart.”

Stephanie was a little stunned by the sudden change in Claire’s attitude. But as she thought of Claire’s temper, it no longer seemed surprising.

Claire stormed out, the door slamming shut behind her.

Stephanie just shrugged. “Let it get more messy. The Ashford family’s already in chaos, or Claire wouldn’t be back now,” she muttered to herself.

After Claire left, a servant came in and cleared away the coffee cup she’d used. Stephanie got up and walked out of the room. Henry stepped forward, his expression respectful. “Ms. Giovanni, is there anything you need to take back to Fiorenza?”

Stephanie shook her head. “Nope.” Long Harbor wasn’t a place she had any good memories of. This time, when she went back to Fiorenza, she wanted a clean break.

Henry nodded. “Alright.”

“Where’s Sebastian?” Stephanie asked.