Vengeance With My White Knight by Maya Kensington

Chapter 179 Chapter 179 Macro was toast-his legs felt like they were stuffed with cement Even with the bodyguard holding him up, getting dragged around was a nightmare.

Sebastian's crew knew how to make it brutal, locking him in a grip that kept him stumbling forward. Every step was like slogging through mud.

Then he saw Stephanie stroll in.

"Stefi, con, helpout here!” he yelled, his voice all scratchy and desperate. “He's turning this into spersonal payback thing!" Stephanie was chilling on Sebastian's lap. She glanced back and said, "He thinks it's good for you." That flipped Macro's switch.

"I don't want his 'good!" he wheezed, barely getting the words out.

If this was a favor, they could shove it-he just wanted to crash and be done.

Sebastian's hand was on Stephanie's waist, his voice low and steady. "Why'd you cout here with no jacket?" The last few days had been rough-freezing cold with a wind that wouldn't quit.

Snow kept dumping down, piling up in the courtyard like a giant white rug.

Stephanie looked at herself and shrugged. "I've been inside all day. I'm good." She hadn't even gone outside-Sebastian wouldn't let her anyway, fussing she'd get sick.

Macro, still hobbling along, shouted again, sounding like a broken radio.

Stephanie peeked at his sad, wobbly self and gave Sebastian a look. “So, why's he running again?" "For his own good," Sebastian said, kicking back in his chair, cool as ever.

Stephanie's lip twitched.

She stared at him, thinking, 'Yeah, sure, that totally makes sense.

Right then, her phone buzzed-Ella calling.

"It's Ella," she said to Sebastian, "Need to take it." "Mm," he grunted, letting his hand drop as she got up.

Macro spotted her leaving and howled, "Stefi, don't ditchlike this!" "He's not gonna kill you," she tossed back, not even looking, a little tease in her tone.

She was thinking that, maybe this would teach him to watch that mouth.

She kept walking, phone in hand, her shoes tapping down the hall.

Sebastian took a cigar from Elliot and said, "Five more laps." His voice was stone-cold.

1/5 Chapter 179 Macro lost it, stomping as he ran. "Sebastian, you're a real jerk, you know that? I was doing it for you!" Elliot, off to the side, sighed.

Macro's mouth is gonna get him in deep trouble today.

***** Out in the hall, Stephanie picked up.

"Ella?" Ella's voice cthrough, all hyped up. "Stefi, they're going at it-listen!" A loud slap hit the line, then Lilian's pissed off yell, "Who're you calling a bimbo? I'll skin you alive today!" "You, that's who!" another voice snapped back, sharp and nasty." got Tyler's kid-you want to be the stepmom or what?" Caitlin jumped in, fuming. "Both of you, shut it! Amber, zip your mouth!" "Me, shut up?" Amber laughed, ice in her tone. "No wonder you, you old witch, kept messing withand Tyler's wedding- even dissing your own grandson. What, waiting for a better offer The line went dead quiet for a second-then blew up again.

"So, the precious Hodge family princess, huh?" Amber's voice got real cutting. “You blind, or just into being a BIMBO?" Lilian was roaring, "You bitch, you're SO dead today!" Even just hearing it over the call, Stephanie could tell it was a total mess on Ella's end-shouting, screaming, the whole deal.

Ella's voice popped in, all giddy. "Stefi, you catching this? Loud enough for you? I can get closer if you want!" Stephanie's lip twitched. She leaned against the hallway wall, not saying much.

"Didn't you say you weren't hitting up the hospital? What's with the change?" she asked, scrunching her face a bit.

Ella laughed. "I cfor the gossip, obviously! When I heard this kind of craziness was happening, how could I skip it?" Stephanie's eye did that twitch thing again. "So you're just there to watch the circus?" "Not totally. My butt's been killingsince that fall-I couldn't deal anymore, so I cto get it looked at. Then I saw Lilian roll in," Ella said.

She paused like she was setting up a punchline, her smugness oozing through. "I knew it'd be wild, so I sucked it up for it." and went Stephanie went quiet for a second.

Ella was a magnet-trouble stuck to her like glue.

Still, Ella being there meant Stephanie got to eavesdrop on the action. More chaos, more fun.

Ella made stic "tsk-tsk" noises. "Man, it's nuts. I'm recording it for you!" "Sweet," Stephanie said, glancing at the lights down the hall.

Ella had already sent something earlier that she hadn't checked.

After hanging up, she pulled up the latest video. It was the hallway outside Tyler's hospital room.

2/5 Chapter 179 Caitlin was planted in the doorway, keeping Amber from storming in, her face all pale and pissed.

The two were going hard, their voices bouncing around like a freaking loudspeaker.

Amber's sarcasm sliced through. "The Hart family must've ticked off the universe to get stuck with you." She thought for a second and went on, "Favoring your adopted kid is one thing, but pushing her to snatch your daughter's fiancé? What's next-hooking her up with your son to keep it all cozy?" Caitlin's face went tomato-red as she swung at Amber, shaking with anger.

Amber didn't budge. She grabbed Caitlin's wrist and shoved her back. "What, mad now? Caitlin-oops, Mrs. Hart- how do you sleep being this gross?" Caitlin's voice wobbled as she barked, "What'd you just say? I'm gross?" Amber smirked. "Yeah, you are. What's the plan-let your precious adoptee hook up with your husband next? Really tie the family knot, huh?" Stephanie watched the video, her lip twitching again, but she kept quiet.

Amber's tongue was a freaking knife now-way sharper than before.

Back in the day, Caitlin's cash couldn't shut her up, and now? She was a wrecking ball, flattening everyone. Ella's next video popped up, the notification pinging as her screen flashed.

Stephanie tapped it-yep, total madness. Amber and Lilian were scrapping like alley cats, the whole thing a disaster, like a farmer's market fistfight.

Caitlin tried jumping in to back Lilian but got tossed to the floor by Amber. She hit the ground hard, flopping there like a knocked-over garbage can.

Ella's call buzzed in again, her voice hyped. "You see it?" Stephanie, still propped on the wall, mumbled, "Yeah, I saw." The Hart family was a train wreck now-a beehive smashed wide open.

Ella's voice buzzed with excitement. "After today, the Hodge family's going to want Tyler's head on a stick. This is full-on marriage fraud!" Stephanie nodded without thinking. "Kid's that old already-yeah, it's a total con." "Oh, and just wait until Caitlin calms down. She'll lose it when she sees those pics of Chad with his sweetheart at Rose-Luxe," Ella threw in, pausing for a second with a sneaky little grin in her tone.

Stephanie's lip twitched, one eyebrow popping up. "That quick, huh?" "You're not giving them any space to breathe, are you?" she teased, leaning on the wall with a playful vibe.

Ella snorted. "Ha! Half the time, I don't even know who I'm doing this for. But I've got my priorities-I'm out here." Stephanie stared at the floor, not clapping back.

Helping? More like stirring the pot until it exploded.

ping your mom Still, she couldn't deny it-this mess was her kind of fun. A grin shuck up on her.

3/5 Chapter 179 3 91%0 +23)

"Yeah, yeah, own our screw-ups, keep it all in the family Stephaniel said, dragging it out with a little spark of mischief. As she talked, she started wandering toward the main building, her shoes tapping softly in the hall.

Then-a flicker. A shadow zipped across the snowy lights outside flashing on the window.

Her heart jumped, and she stopped dead.

Instinct took over, every nerve buzzing. Before she could even think, a blast of freezing wind smacked her from behind, sharp and cold. She spun around fast-pure gut reaction-and threw her phone at the shadow.

The guy dodged, then cat her, quick and silent like a ghost.

Stephanie slid to the side, kicking up a breeze, but this guy was fast-way too fast-closing in hard.

Adrenaline pumping, she threw punches and kicks, trading hits with him in the snowy dark, loud and messy.

"Help! Somebody!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the quiet.

The guy hesitated-he'd been messing with her-but now he went for the kill.

In a flash, he grabbed her, twisting her wrists behind her back with a grip like steel, locking her down.

"Hel-" she tried again, but his hot hand slapped over her mouth, his breath brushing her ear.

Back in the gym, Sebastian was chilling with his cigar, smirking as Macro flopped around like a half-dead dog. Then-her voice. Faint, but clear as day. His smirk dropped, cigar freezing in his hand. In a split second, he was up, hauling ass out the door with big, fast steps, no hesitation. Elliot blinked, thrown off, then bolted after him, his fancy shoes smacking the floor loud. Stephanie squirmed, her wrists stinging under the guy's hold, but she couldn't shake him. He pinned her like it was nothing, leaning in close. "Stefi," he whispered in her ear.

That voice-gone for years but burned into her memory-hit her like a brick. Her breath hitched, chest squeezing tight.

Her eyes narrowed, anger and panic slamming together, a wild storm brewing in her stare.

She kicked and thrashed like crazy, but it didn't matter.

In his grip, she was stuck, like a cub caught in a trap, her muffled grunts the only noise she could make.

"Mmph, mmph... Stephanie's muffled grunts cout all jumbled, her voice trapped under the hand smashed over her mouth.

Footsteps crunched fast through the snow-someone was hauling ass her way.

She peeked through squinted eyes and saw Sebastian barrel around the corner, kis big, solid frlit up by Π the streetlights. Their eyes locked, and she squirmed harder, yanking at the steel tight grip on her wrists.

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