Chapter 508

As they were talking, Elliot walked in. Seeing him, Stephanie quickly scooted over and sat quietly next to Sebastian. Sebastian shot a quick glare at Elliot, his face dark. He asked, “What’s up?”

“Mr. Tyler Hart is here,” Elliot said. “He’s waiting outside and demanding to see Ms. Giovanni.”

As soon as Sebastian heard Tyler’s name, his expression turned cold. “Demanding,” he repeated, narrowing his eyes.

Elliot nodded. “He’s being unreasonable. He probably knows Ms. Giovanni’s leaving for Fiorenza soon, and he doesn’t know when she’ll come back to Long Harbor. He’s panicking, throwing all his pride out the window.”

Tyler was clearly desperate. After all, with the Hart family falling apart, he saw Stephanie as the only one who could keep it all together. The moment Tyler found out she was leaving Long Harbor, he completely panicked.

Sebastian closed his eyes for a moment and then said, his voice low and threatening, “Shoo him away.”

Since Tyler clearly didn’t care about his reputation anymore, Sebastian figured he might as well strip him of whatever dignity he had left.

Stephanie hesitated. “Wait.”

Sebastian opened his eyes and glanced at her. He asked, “What is it?”

Stephanie tilted her head slightly. “He deserves to suffer a little. Don’t you think we should let him?”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow and said, “Kick him out, and he’ll suffer enough.” The airport was crowded, and if Tyler was ready to swallow his pride, then so be it.

Earlier, when Tyler had arrived in Long Harbor, Sebastian had already had Elliot look into the Hart family. They were newly rich and obsessed with their reputation. With so many people around, embarrassing him would be enough to make him wish he never came.

Stephanie said, “At this point, their reputation doesn’t matter anymore.”

With that, she stood up from beside Sebastian and looked at Elliot. “Where is he?”

“Right outside the door,” Elliot replied.

Stephanie nodded. Turning to Sebastian, she said, “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Without waiting for his response, she turned and left. As he watched her walk away, Sebastian’s smile grew a little wider.

Elliot immediately turned to follow her, but Sebastian stopped him with a wave. “Let her go alone. She’ll be fine.”

He knew Stephanie wasn’t the same anymore. Back then, she was like a little kid with no power to stand up for herself.

Elliot nodded, agreeing. “Yeah, Ms. Giovanni has definitely grown up.”

She wasn’t the same girl who’d cry to Sebastian every time she was picked on. Somewhere along the way, Stephanie had learned how to face her problems head-on.

Sebastian’s smile softened, and his voice was full of affection. “She hasn’t grown up. She’s just being mischievous.”

Elliot couldn’t help but agree. Well, that makes sense, he thought. When it came to the Hart family, Stephanie had always been the one in control, playing them however she liked. And now, she’d tricked them until they were done for.

When the Hart family found out she was part of the Lucano family, their faces went pale. Thinking about how they looked when they lost billions of dollars gave Stephanie a sense of satisfaction.

Tyler was waiting outside. He wasn’t really making a scene—he couldn’t, even if he tried. His hand was hurt, and he was limping. There was no way he could run around. All he could do was sulk and gripe.

“I’m not leaving until I see Ms. Giovanni,” he said, standing his ground and arguing with Elliot’s people. Right now, facing Sebastian’s guys, Tyler didn’t dare shout about seeing his sister. They were at the airport. Tyler didn’t need to think twice—he knew Stephanie was with Sebastian. He wasn’t about to bring it up, though.

The guy dealing with Tyler finally lost his patience and called Elliot. “Sir,” he said, “we might have to get a little more forceful.”

Dealing with someone like Tyler meant a solid beating and tossing him out. That was the best way to handle it.

Before Elliot could respond, Stephanie stepped forward. As soon as the guy, who was blocking Tyler, saw her, he immediately greeted her with respect. “Ms. Giovanni,” he said.

Stephanie waved him off. “Let him go,” she ordered.

When Tyler saw her, his eyes lit up. All his anger faded in an instant. “Stefi, you finally agreed to see me,” Tyler said, his voice softening. All his complaints disappeared for now.

On his way to the airport, he’d already figured things out. He knew this might be the last time he saw Stephanie. Without thinking, he reached out to grab her hand. “Sis,” he said.

Stephanie quickly pulled her hand away, giving him a cold stare. She didn’t hide her disgust. His calling her “Sis” made her sick. Back with the Hart family, Tyler would always call Olivia “Sis.” It was just a word, but Stephanie didn’t care about that. It was the way they acted—so fake and annoying. Now that Tyler was in trouble, suddenly he wanted to claim her as his sister. Just hearing him say “Sis” gave her the chills.

When Tyler saw her pull away, his heart sank. His hand hovered awkwardly in the air as he was unsure of what to do next. He pulled his hand back, feeling a little embarrassed. He opened his mouth, trying to think of something to say.