Chapter 664

“Yeah, how is that even possible? What’s going on with her? Why won’t she see me?” Ella’s voice was full of worry.

If she could just see her mom, maybe she’d understand what’s going on and feel better. But despite everything, her mom wouldn’t meet with her.

“Lorenzo took care of everything,” Stephanie said.

They already knew Andrea wasn’t meeting with anyone, and Lorenzo had handled things quickly. But, with Sebastian involved, that was always how it went. Efficiency was key.

Ella sniffled and wiped her eyes. “He arranged everything, but it cost me a whole night,” she said.

Stephanie was speechless. “What did you say?” She wasn’t sure if what Ella said meant what she thought.

Ella’s tears started falling again. “It hurts so much, Stefi, it hurts…”

Thinking about what happened the night before, with Lorenzo demanding so much from her, Ella felt worse. The more she thought about it, the more upset she got. She’d sacrificed so much, just to get that man to skip the undercover investigation and set up a meeting with her mom. And yet, her mom refused to see her.

It was really frustrating.

Stephanie was stunned. Stephanie gently pulled Ella into her arms and took a closer look at her. When she noticed the marks on Ella’s neck, she gasped. After comparing her to Lorenzo, she realized the huge difference in size and understood why Ella had been crying out of frustration.

“Okay, okay, stop crying now, alright?” Stephanie said softly, trying to comfort her.

Ella’s situation left her speechless.

“You really went that route?” Stephanie asked.

They talked before, thinking Lorenzo wouldn’t be interested in someone like Ella, a small girl. But it turned out, he was.

Ella’s face immediately turned red. “No, no, it’s not like that,” she stammered.

Thinking back to how he’d turned into a beast the night before, she realized there was no way she could’ve gotten away.

Stephanie asked, “What?”

“It was Lorenzo. I couldn’t get away, so I just decided to make a deal,” Ella admitted.

Stephanie couldn’t believe it. “You made deals while… doing that?”

Ella just nodded and Stephanie’s mind went completely blank. She couldn’t believe it.

Since they came to Fiorenza, Ella had been in shock. Put now the made deals with Lorenzo, especially in a situation like that. Over the years, anyone who’d tried negotiating with Lorenzo, even men, didn’t come out well. Women didn’t even dare.

Seeing Stephanie’s shocked expression, Ella asked, “What’s wrong? Is it wrong to make a deal?”

“You’re really brave,” Stephanie said.

“What do you mean?” Ella asked.

Stephanie remembered what Sebastian had said about Lorenzo’s strange feelings toward Ella. At first, she didn’t believe it, but now, it was happening fast. But for Ella, it was a good thing.

“Stefi, can you ask your brother to look into what’s going on with my mom in the Dark Portal?” Ella quickly changed the subject. Her main concern now was her mother.

“I think you should just go to Lorenzo directly,” Stephanie suggested.

“What?”

“If I ask him, he’ll just have Lorenzo check into it,” Stephanie said.

“This…” Ella hesitated.

Stephanie looked at her, softening a bit, but still had to say it, “Maybe this is for the best. I used to think you and Lorenzo were from different worlds, but fate is funny.”

Now, with Ella’s world upside down, she was standing by Lorenzo. He was like a knight sent by fate to protect her. In her time of need, she became his woman, and he became her safe place.

Ella was speechless. Stephanie then talked with Ella for a bit, giving her advice to go to Lorenzo for anything in the future. She also offered emotional support to Ella, since this was now her life.

By the time they left Lorenzo’s villa, it was already 1 PM. Stephanie was starving. “Seriously, Lorenzo? Why couldn’t he at least have a couple of servants around to help?” she complained. Since there was only one cook, she felt a bit awkward about bothering them.

Sebastian pulled her close and fed her some snacks, which she happily munched on.

“Did you clear everything up with Ella?” he asked, his voice soft and caring.

Stephanie glanced at him. “Hmm, about what?” she asked.

“Tell her to go to Lorenzo if she needs anything in the future,” he replied.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Really? She’s a girl, you know,” she said.

He didn’t even pick the right person to be jealous of. Sebastian didn’t answer but fed her another snack. Stephanie, still starving, just grabbed the entire pack from his hand.

Looking outside, she realized they weren’t headed home. “Where are we going?” she asked.

“I’m taking you to see the wedding venue,” Sebastian said.

“Oh,” she said, surprised.

‘Isn’t the whole point of a fancy wedding venue to surprise the bride on the big day?’ she thought.

Sebastian gently squeezed her hand. “A wedding only happens once. It’s gotta be something you’ll love,” he said. Stephanie’s heart melted.

‘Yeah, forget the surprise. What matters is that I actually like it. If I don’t, it’d be more of a shock than a surprise,’ she thought.