Chapter 74

Sebastian dropped Stephanie at Eastview Tower, instructing the driver to pick her up later. He asked her to eat well. Stephanie wanted dinner with Ella, so Sebastian offered to send the driver to the restaurant. She demurred, preferring spicier fare with Ella, but knew he wouldn't allow it.

"Fine," she mumbled, resignation evident in her tone.

Sebastian, amused, nodded at Elliot as the car departed. Stephanie lingered, her cheeks flushed. Returning from lunch, Jennifer found her boss crimson-faced at the entrance. Leaning closer, she startled Stephanie.

"What are you doing?" Stephanie demanded.

"Boss, your face is red. Are you dating someone?" Jennifer asked.

The question sparked a memory: Chris, Stephanie's former fiancé, and the studio's pity for her. Everyone knew his heart belonged to Olivia; marrying him seemed a path to lifelong misery. Unexpectedly, Stephanie never intended to marry him.

"Dating? Don't spout nonsense," Stephanie retorted. "He's my brother—the one who raised me..."

"You're single now. What's wrong with dating?" Jennifer countered.

Stephanie remained silent. The idea made sense, yet she didn't want to date. A fleeting shadow crossed her eyes, too subtle for Jennifer to decipher.

Afternoon Rush. Stephanie was immersed in work—back-to-back calls with major clients. Near quitting time, irrelevant calls flooded in. First, Chris.

"Stephanie! Who the hell is that man?!" he roared, his voice suggesting a recently healed wrist.

"Why ask?" Stephanie replied casually.

"To rip his head off!" Chris's fury was palpable. The Cloudridge Valley bruise still marred his face, and now his wrist was broken. He wouldn't let this go.

Amused by his rage, Stephanie snorted. "So capable? Go investigate him yourself."

"Stephanie!" Chris roared again. Had Kevin already identified the man, he wouldn't have called.

"Idiot," Stephanie retorted, hanging up and blocking his number.

Soon, Catlin called. "What's going on with your studio? How many things have you been hiding from me?"

"Hiding from you? Is that really necessary?" Stephanie responded, feeling no obligation to confide in the Hart family.

Catlin seethed. "What do you mean 'necessary'? I'm your mother!"

"Aren't Tyler and Olivia—those two losers—calling you 'Mom' enough? Spare me the curse," Stephanie sniped, implying that anyone calling her "Mom" would become a loser.

Catlin, aware of her daughter's sharp tongue, felt the venom almost physically. Recent conversations had hinted at a severing of ties—now she understood why. Two or three million dollars last year—no wonder the audacity.

"Where are you? I'm coming now."

"Focus on nursing Olivia—that sickly thing. I've no time for you," Stephanie retorted, hanging up. Her busy schedule, filled with foreign deals, left no room for her mother. She regretted not separating her work and personal phones. Previously, the Harts and Chris Ashford rarely called. The frequency of calls lately was far higher than the entire previous year. It was beyond annoying.

Catlin, livid, thrust the hospital phone at a nurse. "Find her location," she demanded, threatening to blacklist every number.

"Eastview Tower 1, 26th floor," Tyler announced, his own mood souring. Companies refused to sever ties with Stephanie, seemingly afraid of something they wouldn't voice. Even Skyriver Travel, newcomers to Long Harbor, showed surprising defiance.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" the company representative had demanded. "We partner with whoever we damn want!"

This arrogance was unlike a new company. Their defiance, mirroring Stephanie's, even extended to cursing the Ashfords. Catlin couldn't believe it.

"None of those companies will terminate collaborations with her?" she asked, her tone sharp.

Tyler's expression darkened. Olivia, until now silent, interjected, "How did she secure those partnerships?"

Mother and son exchanged ominous glances. Olivia's words steered them down a wrong path. The thought of Stephanie having something going on with those in charge struck them. A country bumpkin earning millions in a year? She must have traded something.

"I'm confronting her now," Catlin hissed.

Stephanie fielded two more calls—thankfully not from Catlin or Chris. As soon as she hung up, Ella called, suggesting Mexican food.

"I can't," Stephanie replied.

"Huh? Under control?" Ella asked. Sebastian's concern was evident. Her diet was already being managed, exceeding even her biological mother's care. The bond between Stephanie and her adoptive brother ran deep, a closeness rare in adoptive relationships.

"Yeah. If I go out, only bland options," Stephanie explained.

"No bland!" Ella refused, unable to accept tasteless food.

"Then I'll eat at home," Stephanie conceded.

"Call me when your warden's gone. Mexican food date!" Ella insisted.

"Mm," Stephanie mumbled. With Sebastian in Long Harbor, her hotpot dreams were dashed. Near quitting time, Sebastian called.

"Are you getting off work?"

Stephanie mumbled an affirmative. "Tell the driver to take me straight back to Shallow Bay Area."

"No dinner with friends?"

"We crave hotpot. Please?"

"No," Sebastian said firmly. Her fragile childhood and numerous hospitalizations forbade dietary risks. Spicy food was out of the question.