Chapter 554

“Ella, what’s the deal between your mom and Dark Portal?” Stephanie’s voice came through the phone, super direct.

Ella froze for a second, caught off guard. “Nothing. Why are you asking?” she replied.

She thought, ‘My mom’s a legitimate businesswoman. There’s no way she’s tied to an organization like Dark Portal. If there is some connection, it’s probably something messed up, like Dark Portal kidnapping her or something!’

Ella had no idea why Dark Portal would be involved with her mom.

After hearing Ella’s response, Stephanie seemed a little uncertain. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Why?” Ella asked.

There was a pause before Stephanie spoke again. “That’s odd.”

“Odd?” Ella felt her heart skip a beat at the tone in Stephanie’s voice.

“I heard that the former leader of Dark Portal was a woman named Andrea,” Stephanie explained.

While Ella was at her check-up, she overheard Lottie on the phone saying the former female leader of Dark Portal, named Andrea, had returned to the group. Ella’s mom’s name was also Andrea.

Ella shook her head. “That can’t be the same person,” she said without thinking.

Before Stephanie could say anything, Ella quickly added, “There are tons of people with the same name.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Stephanie agreed.

But she couldn’t help but feel like it was too much of a coincidence, especially since Ella’s mom was missing. If her mom were still in Long Harbor, maybe it was just another Andrea. But now, with her mom gone, it was hard to say.

“Wait. Something’s wrong,” Ella suddenly said.

“Huh?” Stephanie responded, sounding confused.

Ella took a deep breath. “Lorenzo said my mom was taken by people from Dark Portal.”

‘Even though it’s not 100% confirmed yet, if Lorenzo says it, there has to be some truth to it. With the clues we have, this is definitely looking pretty likely,’ Ella thought to herself.

As she thought about it, Ella’s breath caught in her throat. She’d heard the rumors about Dark Portal—how the previous leader was killed by the current one. A place with that kind of power probably has some shady stuff going on behind the scenes.

Stephanie asked, “Did Lorenzo tell you that?”

“Yeah,” Ella answered quickly, her voice full of urgency.

Her mom’s name was Andrea, and the former female leader of Dark Portal was also named Andrea. Now, her own mom was taken by Dark Portal.

Even though Ella hadn’t made any connection between these two women, this strange coincidence made it seem like they were the same person.

Stephanie said, “Well, this…”

Chapter 554 (continued)

“Stefi, you’ve gotta help me figure this out and fast,” Ella said.

“Wait. You didn’t leave with me because of this?” Stephanie asked.

After hearing Ella crying on the phone and then suddenly refusing to go, Stephanie had a feeling that it had something to do with Lorenzo. Now she found out that Lorenzo had used Andrea to make a deal with Ella.

Back when they were in Long Harbor, Ella didn’t spend much time with her mom, but that didn’t mean they weren’t close.

Every time they talked, it looked like it was about money. But in reality, Ella was really dependent on her mom, even trying hard to get her mom’s attention. With how emotional Ella was, it was obvious that she wasn’t cold-hearted.

Ella gasped, “What else can I do?” If it weren’t for her mom, she would’ve left with Stephanie.

“Should I come get you now?” Stephanie asked.

“Forget it,” Ella said, shaking her head.

‘Even if you pick me up, Lorenzo will still cause trouble. It’s better to stay here and let his people sort things out. That way, I can leave with a clean slate,’ Ella thought, remembering what Lorenzo said.

Right now, Ella couldn’t stop thinking about her mom. If she stayed with Stephanie and Lorenzo kept making trouble, she’d really feel annoyed.

Hearing Ella’s exhausted voice, Stephanie furrowed her brow. “What’s going on now?”

Ella sighed. “Lorenzo keeps saying I poisoned him on purpose. He’s convinced I’m an undercover agent. He won’t stop until he figures it out.”

Stephanie thought, ‘What? He keeps saying that?’

“He’s just messing with you,” Stephanie said, clearly frustrated. She couldn’t believe it.

Chapter 555

Chapter 555 content omitted as it was not included in the provided text.)