Chapter 539
Even though the Giovanni family had raised Stephanie well, Lottie still worried about her. Compared to Sofia, Stephanie was more vulnerable. And just like Lottie had feared, the people in Long Harbor were indeed bullying Stephanie.
Stephanie felt even more touched. “Mom.”
“Stop crying, alright? Eat something. Then we’ll have the medical team do a full check-up on you,” Lottie said, comforting her. She shot Sebastian a look, silently blaming him for not explaining things to Stephanie well. Look at how worried Stephanie is. I guess being away for so long made her think I wouldn’t understand. What’s so hard about it? I raised her. I know her better than anyone, Lottie thought.
Stephanie nodded obediently. “Mm.”
Lottie comforted Stephanie for a few more moments before gently guiding her over to the dining table. The servants had already set everything out, filling the table with all kinds of dishes—everything Stephanie used to love back when she lived in Fiorenza. Lottie kept piling food onto her plate, saying, “Stefi, I made this myself today.”
“Mm.” Stephanie nodded obediently. She picked up a piece of pancake with her fork and took a bite. “Mom’s cooking is still amazing.”
No one would’ve guessed that the strict, powerful Lottie—the only daughter of the Lucano family—could cook. And the food she made was delicious. Stephanie loved the taste of it.
Lottie smiled. “I heard you’ve been really into spicy food ever since you went to Long Harbor. I thought you wouldn’t like these dishes anymore.”
“I like everything. I like it all,” Stephanie replied. Most of the food in Long Harbor was pretty bland, and nothing really tasted great. The only things she enjoyed there were spicy food and barbecue. People naturally gravitate toward what they like.
But no matter how her taste changed, the flavors from home would always stay the same. She might get tired of them after a while, but if she didn’t have them for too long, she’d really start to miss them. Stephanie was clearly missing home.
“This soup is so good,” she said. After taking a sip of the soup Lottie made, Stephanie instantly looked content—it was really delicious.
Lottie smiled. For someone who cooked, the best reward was knowing someone appreciated it. “If you like it, drink more. You haven’t been eating well lately, so you really need to eat more today,” Lottie said.
Stephanie kept sipping the soup and asked, “Mom, you know everything, huh? Do you know what I’ve been doing all these years in Long Harbor?”
‘She knows I haven’t been eating properly. Is she keeping tabs on me or something?’ Stephanie thought.
Lottie paused when she heard that. “I’m not that all-knowing. You sure know how to hide, huh? You didn’t even come back when you were being bullied.”
When it came to Long Harbor, there was no avoiding the topic of the Hart family bullying Stephanie. Lottie honestly didn’t know that Stephanie had been in Long Harbor. There were so many other places Stephanie could have gone, and she never expected Stephanie to end up somewhere where she could barely speak the language. But she really underestimated Stephanie’s ability to learn. In just two or three years, Stephanie had picked up the local language and became really good at it. Even though her husband was from there too, he only taught her a few phrases.
“I know I was wrong,” Stephanie said.
Lottie huffed, a bit proud, but there was no anger in her tone. After all, in the last few years, they’d both been dealing with the mess left from before.