Chapter 115

Hearing a voice, Fry tentatively turned, seeing Stephanie not far away, clad in a beige coat. Her hands were buried in her pockets, and a faint, grim smile played on her face. At that moment, the three of them felt their hearts leap.

Stephanie walked toward them with an expression both intense and serene, while Chloe followed closely behind. Elliot’s expression was grim. Even though he had read the reports, witnessing the scene firsthand was profoundly different. How could they be so ruthless to their own family? he wondered.

Stephanie stopped before Catlin, tilting her head slightly. “So, you were discussing kidnapping me? For Olivia?”

Catlin’s nerves frayed. She hadn’t expected Stephanie to overhear. She took a deep breath. “J-Just ask Allison and Marco to help…”

“And if I refuse?” Stephanie asked, her voice light yet sharp. “What then? Are you planning to kill me?” She had heard everything. They were willing to abduct her to force her cooperation. Blood relation? What a joke.

Catlin was speechless, overwhelmed by Stephanie’s calm yet oppressive presence.

Tyler, seeing Catlin’s distress, lost his patience. He shoved Stephanie. “Enough! Is this how you talk to your elders?”

The moment Stephanie staggered, Elliot caught her, then swiftly kicked Tyler in the abdomen. A searing pain shot through Tyler. He clutched his stomach, his face pale. “How dare you?” he hissed.

Catlin rushed to support Tyler, her face pale with shock and rage. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Chris, meanwhile, fixed his gaze on Elliot. Another man? Who is this? he thought, his expression darkening. He felt the intensity radiating from Elliot. His eyes narrowed. “Stephanie, come here,” he ordered coldly. Irritation gnawed at him. Why were there always men around her? In a few days, three different men.

Elliot glanced at Chris, then at Stephanie. “Shall I handle this?”

Chris froze. Handle this? He just attacked Tyler; now he wants to fight me too? A surge of anger consumed him. “Stephanie, I said come here!” he demanded, his teeth clenched.

The air grew suffocating, the tension palpable. Stephanie met Chris’s gaze, noting his gloomy expression and the faint bruises on his arm. After a pause, she said, “Forget it. He’s already been beaten up enough these past few days.”

Humiliation burned through Chris. Elliot nodded. “Then let’s go see Mrs. Blackwood,” he said to Stephanie.

“Alright,” Stephanie replied, striding past Tyler and Catlin. Chris watched her, his chest tightening with resentment. Her arrogance was painful.

“Stephanie, stop!” Catlin snapped, reaching her breaking point. Seeing Tyler in pain was the last straw. For two years, nothing had gone right with Stephanie. She couldn’t bear watching her son beaten.

Stephanie halted. “What now?”

“If you get Allison and Marco to return, I’ll agree to any conditions,” Catlin said, desperation lacing her voice.