Chapter 531

Stephanie motioned for her to stay quiet. She knew men think differently from women. With Lorenzo suspicious of Ella, if Sebastian got involved, he might start doubting her, too. Without Sebastian’s help, getting Ella out of Lorenzo’s control would be impossible.

Seeing Sebastian remain silent, Stephanie walked over to him, tugging at his sleeve with pleading eyes. “Sebastian…”

Her strong yet soft expression made Bernard rub his forehead, thinking, “That’s it. They’re definitely going to take Lorenzo’s woman away now.”

Sebastian gently rubbed Stephanie’s head. “I’ll go talk to Lorenzo first.”

Stephanie nodded obediently and added, “But I’m still taking Ella with me.”

Bernard thought, What kind of connection do they have that they’re going this far for each other?

Sebastian headed upstairs with Bernard close behind, leaving just Stephanie and Ella. Ella quickly returned to Stephanie’s side, hugging her arm tightly. It was clear she was afraid Stephanie might leave her behind.

Stephanie looked at Ella’s big, round eyes and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Okay.” Ella nodded, looking a little more at ease. Just then, her phone rang. “I need to take this,” she said.

“Sure,” Stephanie replied.

Ella stepped aside to answer the call. Stephanie didn’t know who was on the other end, but from the conversation, it was clear Ella was shocked.

“No way! They actually kicked her out? Tyler’s really doing that?” Ella asked.

“Wait, what about Catlin? Is she really okay with this? She used to protect Olivia like her own daughter. Now she’s agreeing to kick her out?” Ella fired off questions one after another, growing more and more surprised with each one.

Stephanie couldn’t help but glance over at her, thinking, Typical gossip girl. Even now, she’s all about the drama. And look at how excited she is—she’s totally forgetting about her fear of Lorenzo. Guess gossip really does work wonders for her.

Ella turned to Stephanie, gasping again. “Mr. Ashford is thinking about letting an outsider, a love child, into the Ashford Group? Does that mean Chris is basically out?”

Stephanie thought, Here we go again with the Hart family and the Ashford family. She’s got every bit of gossip covered.

Ella continued, “I mean, look at the Ashford Group now. It’s a mess. What’s left to even fight over?”

“What? They’re fighting like it’s life or death? That’s pretty intense,” Ella said, her voice getting louder.

Stephanie thought, Ella’s getting way more worked up over this call. That little shock she had earlier? Gone. I guess this is what she meant when she said gossip helps take her mind off things when she’s stressed. And honestly? It works every time.

“Mrs. Ashford’s in the hospital again? And Claire’s not even doing anything about it? That means Chris is pretty much finished, right?” Ella said.

Stephanie thought, If Grace is in the hospital, Fred’s probably serious about having Steven take over the Ashford Group. She briefly pictured Steven in the boxing ring on the cruise ship. His eyes had been sharp, like a hawk in the desert.

She thought, In front of Steven, Chris would be like a delicate flower in a greenhouse. If Fred really wants Steven to run the Ashford Group, Chris is in for a tough ride.

‘Honestly, Chris does have a gift for managing the company. Under his leadership, Ashford Group’s stock even went up. But it’s a shame. Even though the Ashford Group is falling apart now, Chris put a lot of work into it, and now it’s being taken away from him. Then again, maybe he deserves it. He’s done a lot of selfish things over the last few years, hurting others—besides me and even his peers.’

While Stephanie was lost in thought, Ella finished her call and came back, looking excited. “Stefi, karma’s hitting hard. This is insane.”

Stephanie forced a smile and glanced at Ella, who no longer had any fear on her face. Stephanie couldn’t help but wonder if she’d overreacted in worrying about her so much these past few days in Long Harbor. But hearing Ella cry on the phone earlier really worried Stephanie. Now, though, Ella was all excitement, gossiping without a hint of fear.

Ella leaned in close to Stephanie’s ear. “Olivia’s totally kicked out of the Hart family.”

She continued, “Someone saw her sitting on a bench under a bridge last night. Looks like Tyler took everything from her, and now she’s out on the streets with nowhere to go.”

Stephanie stayed quiet, just listening. Hearing that Olivia was out on the streets seemed to give Ella some sense of relief. A small smile tugged at Stephanie’s lips. ‘Isn’t this punishment worse than sending Olivia straight to jail?’ she thought.