Chapter 197

He hadn't expected Sebastian to interpret things this way, but if it gave him a chance to make Chris suffer, why not? Right now, Chris was obsessed with Olivia. How much would it disrupt him if his family suddenly forbade him from seeing her?

Elliot nodded. "Got it. I'll handle it."

"Go ahead."

Sebastian set down his glass and glanced toward the kitchen door. "Why are you just standing there?"

Stephanie walked over.

"You're really breaking them up?" she asked.

Not letting Chris see Olivia? That was practically a death sentence for him.

Sebastian pulled her onto his lap. "What are you talking about? I'm doing a good deed."

Stephanie stared at him. Did he even hear himself? How could he say that with a straight face?

Sebastian smirked. "The Ashfords see Olivia as the plague. I'm helping them out."

Stephanie paused. "Well… when you put it that way!"

It was a win for the Ashfords, but for Chris? Absolute torture.

"Fine, I guess you are doing a good deed."

Still, this would be rough for both Chris and the Harts. On paper, the Hart family was connected to the Ashfords through marriage, but in reality, they were completely dependent on them. Their relationship had already been strained; after past conflicts, their only real connection was Chris. If the Ashfords forbade him from seeing Olivia, the Harts would be in full-blown panic.

Sebastian absentmindedly played with Stephanie's fingers. "So, in all these years, has anything made you happy?"

Stephanie thought for a moment. "Yeah."

Sebastian's gaze sharpened. "Who was responsible for that?" From the reports Elliot had dug up, even reading the details had been suffocating.

Stephanie grinned. "I have a really profitable studio."

"Hmm?"

"Actually, don't call me tomorrow. I'll be busy all day."

"Why?"

"Overtime! Gotta make sure I do a good job for my biggest client." Back when she left Sebastian, she'd pushed herself to succeed, throwing everything into her work. Now that he'd found her again, she couldn't slack off.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. "Biggest client?"

"Yeah! My studio made almost 90% of its revenue last year from one company, Skyriver Travel." Just saying the name made Stephanie beam with pride. Whoever was behind that company had been incredibly generous, giving her tons of high-paying projects. "Without them, we might've barely broken half a million last year. But thanks to Skyriver Travel? We pulled in over seven million."

She was glowing with excitement, oblivious to the brief flicker of warmth in Sebastian's eyes. Seeing her so pleased, Sebastian chuckled. "That's impressive, huh?"

"Well, the boss at Skyriver Travel clearly has great taste, spotted a hidden gem like me," she teased. Otherwise, how could a no-name design studio have made that much in a year?

Then she turned to Sebastian, curious. "Wait, why did Fred even think of sending Olivia to you?"

"That's hilarious!" Sebastian smirked. "Maybe he's losing his mind."

Stephanie blinked. "Huh?" Chris's father, Fred, wasn't that old. And to be fair, he was ridiculously handsome, had a solid reputation, and wasn't the type to mess around. How did he end up with a son like that? He must be losing his mind over all this!