Chapter 529

Ella sniffed again. “You’re the only one who does. You don’t know. Last night, the people were so angry, and they looked like they wanted to tear me apart.”

Especially Bernard’s words; when he spoke, Ella’s mind had gone blank. She felt like she couldn’t explain herself at all. Stephanie comforted her, saying, “It’s okay. Everything’s fine now.”

Anyway, as long as Lorenzo refused to let her take Ella, Stephanie wasn’t going anywhere. Upstairs, when Lorenzo found out that Stephanie was refusing to leave because of Ella, his expression darkened even more. He narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “Call Mr. Giovanni and have him come pick her up himself.”

When Bernard heard that Sebastian would come personally, he couldn’t help but twitch his lips. “If Mr. Giovanni comes, he’s probably gonna take your woman with him too, right?”

The mention of “your woman” made Lorenzo’s face stiffen. He shot Bernard a cold look, but it wasn’t as icy as before.

Bernard was confused by the look. “What? Did I say something wrong?” He thought, ‘If Mr. Giovanni is coming to pick up Stephanie, Ella’s definitely going with her. We know how spoiled Stephanie is by Mr. Giovanni. That guy would do anything for her. If she wants to take someone, he’d probably say yes without thinking twice.’

Lorenzo’s voice was icy. “My woman?”

Bernard blinked, confused. “Huh? Isn’t she?” ‘The two of them had been living under the same roof. No maids and no cooks. Just the two of them. How could she not be his woman?’ he thought.

Bernard thought maybe he misunderstood, but Lorenzo didn’t argue. Bernard scratched his head. “So, should I call Mr. Giovanni?”

‘I don’t know what Lorenzo’s thinking, but calling Mr. Giovanni to come pick her up seems like the right move. Otherwise, if Stephanie insists on staying here, it’ll just cause problems,’ he thought.

Lorenzo nodded. “Go ahead.”

Bernard frowned, still a bit confused. “So, should Mr. Giovanni pick up one person, or two?”

Lorenzo gave him a look that clearly expressed disbelief. “Why would Mr. Giovanni need to come for just one?”

Bernard finally got it. “Right, only one.” ‘So, Lorenzo still won’t let Ms. Turner go. If he were okay with it, he wouldn’t need Mr. Giovanni to come all the way here,’ he thought.

Downstairs, Stephanie got a call from Sebastian. His voice was calm and smooth. “Did you get Ella?”

It was clear Sebastian had no idea what had happened with Lorenzo.

Stephanie replied, “I found Ella, but I didn’t take her.”

When Sebastian heard Stephanie’s words on the phone, he immediately understood that something had gone wrong. “What’s going on?” Sebastian asked, now sounding annoyed.

Stephanie sighed. “They keep saying Ella’s connected to the Dark Portal, and they won’t let me take her.”

“Well, if they won’t let me take Ella, I’m not leaving. I’ll stay here and wear them down until they give in,” Stephanie huffed.

On the other end of the line, the mood on Sebastian’s side seemed to drop.

Ella heard Stephanie’s words, and she was deeply moved. She thought, ‘She is really my good friend. Good thing I always looked out for her back in Long Harbor.’

Stephanie’s voice grew more determined. “If I can’t take Ella, I’m not leaving, either.” She couldn’t help but think back to those days in Long Harbor when Ella always had her back—helping her take on the Hart family and Chris. Even when the Hart family tried to shut down her studio, Ella, who didn’t know Sebastian’s background, thought Stephanie had no one. She had begged her mom, Andrea, to help.

Hearing how upset Stephanie sounded, Sebastian tried to calm her down. “I’ll be there soon. Just wait for me.”