Chapter 52

At the studio, Stephanie had been stuck in meetings all afternoon. Just as the clock struck six, her phone rang. It was Sebastian. "Come down. I'm parked outside the building," he said.

"You know you can't park there, right? Why not just use the underground garage?" Stephanie replied.

"Exactly. So hurry up," Sebastian retorted.

"Alright," Stephanie said, hanging up and hastily stuffing documents and gadgets into her limited-edition designer bag.

Her assistant, Jennifer, watched in horror. "Miss, that's a collector's item," she exclaimed.

"Huh? Is it?" Stephanie replied, clueless.

Jennifer was stunned. How could someone be so oblivious? Did Stephanie not realize the expense of her possessions? Their studio's annual profits weren't even that high, yet she spent money lavishly. She'd even given the staff luxury gifts as if they were freebies. For someone who'd broken off her engagement with the Ashford family, she was still living like royalty. Was she secretly a rich heiress? Jennifer doubted it; the Hart family hadn't spoiled her that much. Otherwise, why would she be running a studio?

"Alright, I've reviewed everything from the meeting. Keep an eye on things," Stephanie instructed.

Jennifer nodded. "Got it."

Stephanie strode out. The moment she stepped outside, she spotted the flashy car parked down the street. As she approached, her phone buzzed. She answered without checking, having fielded calls from major clients all day. "Hello?"

"Stephanie, where are you?" A voice, low and heavy with restrained anger, filled the line. Even through the phone, Stephanie could sense Tyler's simmering fury.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Call Dr. Pierce and tell her to come back, now," Tyler growled.

"Who do you think you are, Tyler?" Stephanie snorted. "Why don't you call her yourself?"

The line went silent for a moment.

"Stephanie!" Tyler's voice boomed, his anger unrestrained. "You've really lost all sense of decency, huh?"

"Decency?" Stephanie grinned. "Am I breaking the law or something?"

Tyler ground his teeth. "Say that again and I swear…"

"Oh please," Stephanie smirked. "You're so out of touch, you wouldn't know what's going on if it hit you in the face."

That was the last straw. Tyler shouted, "Stephanie! Where the hell are you?"

"If you're so smart, why don't you find me yourself?" Stephanie retorted, then hung up.

On the other end, Tyler nearly threw his phone. Stephanie was pushing him to the limit. First, he couldn't find her at Cloudridge Valley. Then, he returned to the hospital, only to discover she'd blocked his number. It took ages to borrow another phone, and just when he finally reached her, she verbally eviscerated him. Now, he was ready to hunt her down.

Catlin, who had overheard, sighed. "She really hates us that much? What did we ever do to deserve this?"

Tyler's rage flared. "What did we do? We gave her everything—everything! And this is how she repays us?" With a growl, he dialed someone. "I don't care what it takes—find her."