Chapter 552

At the Giovanni residence, Richard was originally going to make a big scene because of Stephanie’s situation. But unexpectedly, it was the document in Dan’s hand that got Richard worked up first. Now, the whole situation was a total mess, and Sofia was right in the middle of it, stuck with no way out.

Meanwhile, at Lorenzo’s villa, Stephanie had been gone for about two hours. Ella was completely stunned. When Lorenzo told her where her mother was, Ella just stared at him, shocked. “Dark Portal?” she asked.

What’s this Dark Portal? Who names their group like that? How could my mom possibly be involved with a group like that?, she thought.

Lorenzo set his cup down and nodded. “From the clues, it seems your mom was taken by someone from the Dark Portal.”

“What’s the Dark Portal?” Ella asked. She’d heard of it before and knew it was a dangerous group. They were into all sorts of illegal activities, but she didn’t know the specifics.

Lorenzo shot her a quick look. “Burning, killing, and looting, you get it?”

Ella’s mouth hung open as she thought, “That kind of place? Seriously?”

“No way. My mom’s a legitimate businesswoman. She wouldn’t have anything to do with a group like that. She’s all about building connections and being polite,” she said.

In Ella’s mind, Andrea had made a lot of money over the years, but she was never arrogant about it. She wasn’t like Stephanie’s mom, Catlin, who had just 650 thousand dollars but acted like she was worth 65 million dollars. Andrea had always been low-key and friendly with everyone. Even if she had business rivals, she never made enemies on purpose.

Lorenzo shrugged. “We still need to confirm if she’s really with the Dark Portal.”

Ella thought for a second. “Then… Then I’ll call Stefi.”

Now that she had some news about Andrea, Ella was eager to call Stephanie. She had sent Stephanie away earlier because Lorenzo hadn’t told her anything about her mom’s whereabouts. But now that she had the information, reaching out to Stefi was the first thing on her mind.

When Lorenzo heard this, his face darkened. Just as Ella was about to call, he snatched the phone right out of her hand.

Ella stared at him, confused. “What are you doing?”

Lorenzo gave her a cold look. “Ella, you’re really going to burn bridges, huh?”

Ella looked at him, thinking, “What? Wait… he…

“No, it’s not like that,” she stammered, trying to explain. “I just didn’t want to trouble you anymore.” The more she said, the darker Lorenzo’s expression got, and her voice grew quieter.

Ella thought, ‘Oh, my God. This guy looks like he wants to eat me alive. Am I burning bridges? Maybe… But wait, if I went with Stefi, wouldn’t she help me find my mom? Or if Sebastian asked Lorenzo, wouldn’t Lorenzo tell him? What was I even thinking? Why didn’t I realize that sooner?’

Chapter 352

Lorenzo tossed her phone onto the bed. “You didn’t want to trouble me, but you sure caused a lot of trouble instead.”

Ella stood there, speechless. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to last night.”

Lorenzo shook his head. “Until we figure out what happened, you’re not leaving here. Forget it.”

Ella felt completely defeated.

Lorenzo added, “Even if Mr. Giovanni himself comes to get you, it won’t make a difference.”

When she heard that, Ella’s face fell. She realized now that even if Sebastian came himself, it wouldn’t change a thing.

‘In Fiorenza, I’m nothing. Lorenzo, though, is a key player right by Mr. Giovanni’s side. So even Stefi helping me doesn’t matter now,’ Ella thought bitterly.

She glared at Lorenzo, frustration bubbling inside her. “How long is your team going to keep investigating?”

“I’m telling you. I’m not doing anything for you anymore,” Ella snapped, her irritation obvious.

She didn’t know how to take care of people, but they insisted she should look after Lorenzo. Then, when things went wrong, they blamed her for it, throwing her into a mess that wasn’t even her fault.

She was still furious about what happened last night, feeling wronged and even a bit resentful.

“What’s even going on here? Stephanie was right. I need to play it safe around Lorenzo. From now on, I’m just going to stay out of everything,’ she thought.