Vengeance With My White Knight by Maya Kensington

Chapter 166 Chapter 166 Macro froze, his brain buzzing one second and blank the next.

He stared at Sebastian, eyebrows scrunching up as he said. “If he's still alive, why hasn't he even tried reaching Soda all this Sebastian just looked back, not saying a word.

Why? The question sat there, heavy.

For a split second, Sebastian's eyes darkened, and he dropped his gaze to the floor.

It was quiet in the room, with wind sneaking through the cracks, whistling faintly.

That weird call-it was Caitlin again, dialing Stephanie from yet another borrowed phone.

God knows how many phones the Hart family had burned through by now. Their own phones had been blocked, yap, all ar them When Caitlin's voice cthrough, it was wild and rough. "He's your brother! How can you be so cold about this?" "Stephanie, what's your heart even made of-ice? You're fine letting your own brother lose his hands? You- Her voice shoot hard, like she was about to lose it.

She'd already passed out once from pure rage. Now she was back, and her anger was blazing hotter than ever. The second the call picked up, she let loose, hurling accusations like a stormi Stephanie's eyes narrowed just a bit, but her voice stayed cool, almost flat. "Icy heart or not, how would you know? None of you ever bothered trying to warm it up." People always said a cold heart couldn't soften-but they had ever given hers a shot.

The Hart family sure hadn't. They'd never cclose, not even a little.

Instead, they'd shown her from day one how chilly family ties could really be.

Caitlin gritted her teeth, her voice snapping through the phone. "You- Stephanie didn't let her finish. "Tyler knows damn well why his hands are messed up." "Stephanie Caitlin's voice spiked, loud and sharp. The anger in her chest was bursting out.

Leaning against the wall, Stephanie kept going, totally unfazed. "After Olivia got sent overseas, he caftermore than once. You knew that, right?" Caitlin went quiet. It hitched, like someone had grabbed her by the neck.

"What'd you say?" she asked, her voice wobbling.

Stephanie kept her tone light. "That tI almost got snatched-you called itbeing paranoid. But you knew it was Tyler didn't you? Just wanted to cover for him.

Stephanie's tone was breezy.

1/4 45% Her words but harder, though, making Caitlin gasp loud enough to hear. "How did you Caitlin stumbled, words tangling up.

"How did I know? Stephanie finished for her, a little smirk creeping in. From Caitlin's rattled tone, Stephanie could tell she'd nailed it.

The Hart family, she thought with a quiet, bitter laugh. Sold crap.

She let out a soft chuckle, dripping with sarcasm. “Makes sense, though. If you'd protect an adopted daughter like that, of course you'd go harder for your own son." Caitlin scrambled to argue: "No, it's not like that! Yeah, he screwed up that one time, but I laid into him after, I swear- Stephanie cut her off, eyes going cold. "And if I'd gotten taken that day, what would've happened to me?" She couldn't stand hearing more of Caitlin's excuses-her ears were already buzzing.

Laid into him? It was not like Tyler was five, and a quick yell could fix it all.

"And it wasn't just once, was it? Even after all your 'talks?" she added, her voice icy.

Caitlin's breathing sped up, getting shallow, like she was choking on the silence.

Stephanie didn't stop. "When I called the cops, you guys pulled strings to hush it up, didn't you?" Caitlin had nothing to say. The line went dead quiet-ceric quiet.

Even the gentle breeze in the room seemed to hold still.

Stephanie's voice dropped, calm but firm. "And you still think I should stick up for him now? Save those hands that should've been toast a long tago?" She'd made peace with that idea ages back-they should've been gone way before today.

Truth is, they'd already been smashed once. By her.

It was after she called the cops and figured out nothing was gonna happen. The Hart family had buried it, no questions.

asked.

That snight, when Tyler staggered out of a bar into the dark, she was ready.

He'd barely hat the sidewalk when she yanked a sack over his head and bashed his hands with a baseball bat, right then and there.

Back in Fiorenza, under Sebastian's wing, she'd been this fragile little thing-like a gust of wind could knock her down.

But after the Casalini mess, after she ditched Fiorenza, she toughened up quick. She learned to take the world straight on.

Dumping every bit of that old softness, she kept telling herself she had to survive, to watch her own back-at least until Sebastian showed up, she'd be standing tall.

And she did. She'd held it together with her own two hands, all the way to now.

As for the people who screwed her over? She hit back at every single one, "You little-okay, he screwed up, but I put a stop to it after, didn't I? You didn't even get hurt," Caitlin said, her voice thick and whiny, like she was the one wronged.

2/4 19:01 Thu, 13 Mar MOT.

Chapter 166 Stephanie let out a dry laugh, one side of her mouth twitching up. "Oh, got it. So I'm always the bad guy here, huh?" Caitlin fumbled. "T....

Stephanie's dig hit her hard, tightening her chest like a weight had dropped on it, Tve always wanted us to get along. Why do you have to act like this? I've been trying so hard to keep things cool," Caitlin said, her voice shaky and full of seemingly hurt, Her voice climbed, cracking with feeling. "Olivia's out there with no help, Tyler's got one hand left, and the company's about to crash." "And this is what I get for begging you to cback? Stephanie, tell me-what else are you gonna do to us?" Caitlin's scream ripped through the phone, raw and frantic.

Stephanie watched her play the victim card, like it was all her fault. Her heart went cold.

This lady-her mom? She scoffed quietly to herself.

Stephanie snorted, voice still steady. "Pretty sure I'm the one who paid first.” Tve almost died because of you guys more than once. She leaned on the window, staring out at nothing.

There was that mess with Olivia, then Tyler coming at her three different times. The third time, she'd smashed one of his hands-and that finally shut him up.

"Im not good at a lot," she said, pausing, “but if someone messes with me, I mess back. If you really feel sorry for Olivia and Tyler....

She went on. "Tell them to stay the hell away from me. And drop the 'family' act-we were never tight.

"All this fake stuff just turns into traps, and when they fall apart, I'm the one who ends up swinging. Then you still point atlike I'm the jerk "Tsk isk" She clicked her tongue, so over this family.

That was her take on the Harts-short, simple, done.

Every tOlivia got close, she'd act all friendly, but it was a setup. Got her butt kicked how many times now? Still didn't learn a thing You-you. Caitlin stuttered, stuck on a loop with nothing to say.

When she couldn't even get a sentence out, Stephanie ran out of patience and hung up.

The Hart family? Whatever "price" they'd paid, she figured they were even enough.

Stephanie knew the second she got back to Fiorenza, the Hart family would find every excuse in the book to blow up her phone again.

She was over playing nice-she didn't have the energy for it anymore She went right up to Elliot and said, sharp and straight. "Mr. Grant

When she locked eyes with him-those cold, piercing eyes that reminded her so much of. COTT O Sebastian's-her mind flicked back to that the'd pulled a gun without even flinching- Honestly, he still creeped her out a little. Her knees even shook for a second 3/4 44% UT Thu, 13 Mar MOT Chapter 166 But as soon as Elliot saw it was her, the ice in his stare melted. He nodded politely. "Miss." Stephanie scratched the back of her head, keeping it casual but firm. “Hey, could you geta new SIM card?" She'd thought it through-no more dodging it. Her old number was done, harassed to death.

She really wondered how the Harts even pull it off-Borrowing one phone after another, call after call.

In the last few weeks, they must've used at least a hundred different numbers.

Blocking wasn't enough anymore.

Stephanie was ready to throw them into the black hole of no-contact, ΕΠ where she'd never hear a peep again..

When Sebastian cupstairs, he caught Stephanie mid-chat, and she was dead-set on ditching her number.

"Go to the study and grab her a new phone, Sebastian said, leaning against the doorframe.

When Stephanie spotted Sebastian, she let go of Elliot and bounced over, grinning wide.

Sebastian reached out, messing up her soft hair before sliding his arm around her, pulling her in close like it was second nature.

"Should've done this a long tago." His deep voice cout warm, teasing her just a little.

Stephanie's chest tightened a bit. She tilted her head up at him, nodding like a kid who got busted.

Not just now things at the stuhave been crazy" That phone was her work line too, after all. She'd been glued to it.

But with her workload finally easing up, she could ditch it. It was like a brick off her shoulders.

Sebastian laughed, his eyes softening. "Fair enough. You're running the show now." "Hell yeah I am" Stephanie stood taller, sticking her chin out with a cocky little smirk.

"Made two million bucks last year, she bragged, practically beaming with pride.

She probably shouldn't have mentioned the two million, though. The second she did. Elliot's eye twitched, and he barely swallowed a laugh Sebastian's totally messing with her like she's a little kid; Elliot thought, keeping it to himself. How long's he going to keep this up 4/4 AD Comment Se mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLliIofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1