Chapter 24 stephanies breath caught in her throat , her whole body tense . For a moment , she couldnt calm down . Her hands shook as she grabbed the phone . Hello ? Miss Giovanni The voice on the other end was unmistakable . Stephanies face went blank , her eyes betraying the storm of emotions she was fighting to keep in check . She forced herself to speak . Yeah , its me . The guy went on , Mr. Giovannis flight is arriving at Long Harbor at 8 PM tonight . He wants you to meet him at the airport . Stephanies heart skipped a beat . She gripped the phone tighter , her palm sweating . He … hes coming to Long Harbor ? The weight of this moment hit her all at once . He was finally coming , after all this time . Just yesterday , shed had swiped the wrong black card while shopping . She knew hed find out , but she hadnt expected it to blow up this fast . The voice on the other end belonged to Elliot Grant , an assistant . Polite , respectful on the surface but everyone in Fiorenza feared him . Elliot had a way of making people shake in their boots . And if Elliot could do that … well , Sebastian Giovanni ? The man he assisted ? He could do anything . He was the man whod raised Stephanie . Elliots voice came again , cold as ever . He also said you better have an explanation ready . Or … He didnt need to finish . The silence said it all . Stephanie shuddered . She hung up , the motion casual , but inside , her mind was racing . The afternoon felt like a blur . She couldnt focus . Her thoughts kept drifting . Even during the meeting , she struggled to stay present . All she could think about was Sebastian . He was the guy the Hart family was looking for the one who raised her . In Fiorenza , he didnt just have power he controlled everything . The legal world . The illegal world . He was the king of the underground . Her mind flashed back to what happened three years ago , just before she left Fiorenza . Her eyes filled with tears . Her work didnt matter anymore . She was lost in her thoughts until the end of the day . When the clock hit six , she stepped outside and her phone started buzzing nonstop . Still distracted , she answered , Hello ? 1/3 13 Chapter 24 Und you really block my by Cathies voice came through , furious , like she was about to explode . Stephanie Based arowed at the busy street , answering flatly . You think I was joking ? The only one who could joke with Carlins was Olivia Stephanie never fe in with them . Always the high expectations , the endless judgment . Catlin was the worst cold and harsh . Hearing the coldnews in Stephanies voice , Catlins anger only flared up more . She snapped , You , you tell me , Allison is your best friend , right ? Youre the one who sent her overseas , arent you ? Stephanie let out a shon , cold laugh . Yeah , I did . So what ? There was a long silence on the other end . Catlin sounded stunned . How could you .. She was so mad , her hands shook Shed expected Stephanie to deny it . But instead , the just owned it , no hesitation . It hit Catlin hard . It was clear now Stephanie didnt care about this family . Not one bit . Catlin had already planned how to interrogate her , but Stephanie had just flat out confirmed everything without hesitation . Catlin gasped . So , you admit it ? Stephanie shrugged , almost like she couldnt be bothered . Whats the big deal ? With everything going on between Olivia and me , you really think its surprising Id cause a little chaos ? She couldnt stand Olivias games , the way she pulled strings behind the scenes . Stephanie had no time for that kind of underhandedness . If she wanted something done , shed do it straight up . No hiding . Catlin was so stunned by Stephanies bluntness , she almost couldnt catch her breath . She couldnt even find the words to express her anger anymore . All she could manage was repeating , You … how could you … Stephanie cut her off , her voice sharp . What , Catlin ? You want me to bring Allison back so she can treat Olivia ? The way Stephanie said Catlin made Catlin freeze . It hit her all at once since Stephanie came back to the Hart family , shed never once called her Mom . In fact , shed never addressed her formally at all . And now , hearing Stephanie say it like that , it stung . It wasnt out of any kind of affection or familiarity . It was a deliberate choice Stephanie didnt want to show her even the slightest respect . Unable to stop herself , Catlin snapped , Im your mother . Stephanies voice was cold as she shot back , Do you really want to argue about something that pointless on the phone ? The word mom didnt exist in Stephanies vocabulary . She had two options : call her Catlin , or Mrs. Catlins eyes widened at how casually Stephanie spoke , like it didnt even matter . It was as if a weight had been sitting in her chest all this time heavy and painful and now it was finally sinking in . After a few deep breaths , Catlin said , Get Dr. Pierce back . Ill unlock your credit card . 2/3 on , 3 Mar Chapter 24 It was reluctant , but it was the best she could offer . She didnt know what else to do with Stephanie , Stephanie immediately caught on to the real message : Allison would come back to fix Olivias mess , and only then would Catlin unlock the card . So , it all came back to Olivia . Stephanie couldnt help but laugh under her breath . Six thousand dollars a month , and you think you can buy Olivias life ? It was almost too ridiculous to believe , The Hart family spent more than that on a single piece of jewelry for Olivia . Her monthly allowance was never less than a hundred grand . When Stephanie first returned to the family , they gave her thirty thousand a month . But then Olivia made a comment about her luxury lifestyle Shell be spoiled and Catlin decided that Stephanie should learn how to manage money . So , they slashed her allowance to fifteen thousand a month . And just like that , Olivias comment had completely changed the financial dynamic in the house . Even with fifteen thousand , Olivia wasnt satisfied . She later said , Stefi doesnt really have a social life , so she doesnt need that much money . Catlin agreed and told Stephanie , We offer everything for you at home . You and Olivia are different you dont need to socialize with other ladies . You dont spend as much . Eventually , the allowance was cut down to 6 thousand . And now , because of Olivias situation , Catlin had gone as far as freezing Stephanies credit card . But what they didnt know was that Stephanie couldnt care less about the money . Stephanies words just made Catlins blood boil . Youre going too far, Catlin hissed . It was clear now Stephanie wasnt a daughter to her . She was the familys punishment for all their past mistakes . Catlin regretted ever bringing her back . Desperate to fix Olivias mess , she decided to throw everything at the wall . Fine , then ! What do you want ? Name your price ! She thought it was a generous offer . But the only thing she heard was the phone disconnecting . When she tried calling again , the number was blocked . Catlin could feel herself about to explode . Her chest tightened , and she struggled to breathe . 3/3 AD Comment Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!