Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella)

He must have been careless to end up right next to Ronald.

The moment the call was placed, Ronald issued a cold warning. "You can take Bernie with you."

Shawn nodded in agreement.

Bernie, confused, asked, "Mr. Quinn, what do you mean by that?"

That thing didn't belong to Mr. Schultz. What did it mean to hand him over to Xander Schultz?

Bernie thought about the rumors concerning Patrina over the past two years. If he landed in Xander's hands, wouldn't he be in deep trouble? Bernie couldn't help but shiver at the thought.

Shawn, dialing the number nervously, stole a glance at Ronald. After thirty long seconds, he swallowed and muttered, "He, uh... didn't pick up." Ronald's face hardened instantly.

Shawn stammered, "I'll try calling again right away."

He recalled the bullet Ronald had put in his leg earlier. His stomach twisted at the thought- what if the next one went between his eyes?

Bernie, meanwhile, was sweating bullets. "Mr. Quinn, I'll get the item from my brother right away. I'll give it to you. Please don't hand me over to Mr. Schultz."

With all his men neutralized by Ronald's team, Bernie didn't dare stir up any more trouble.

Ronald gave Idris a knowing glance, and Idris nodded in understanding before leaving the scene.

Seeing Ronald remain silent, Bernie grew anxious. "Mr. Quinn?"

Finley chimed in, "Do you even know who the woman you were eyeing is?"

"Who?" Bernie asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Someone in Ronald's circle, besides being a plaything, what else could she be?

Having lived on Cyris Isle for so long, Bernie clearly wasn't in the loop about Stella's identity.

Finley continued, "That's Mr. Quinn's precious little jewel, the one he raised himself. You really thought you could mess with her?"

Bernie's pupils shrank in shock as he looked at Ronald. "She's the Quinn family's little princess?"

Even with the news being as scarce as it was, Bernie knew about Ronald raising a little girl. Wasn't there talk that she had gone missing? And the girl from earlier... that was her? They had found her? Finley snickered. "Oh, and you might not know- she's also Xander's fiancée in name. If he finds out, just imagine the thrill when you land in his hands!"

Ronald shot him a cold glare. A tightness gripped Finley's chest under that piercing gaze. "Did I say something wrong again?"

Shawn, still on the phone, was sweating bullets.

When Stella had been taken to Patrina, Shawn had already figured out that she was likely Ronald's woman now.

Yet here was Finley, casually

throwing out that she

s Xandere

fiancée in name. Seriously, his Inability to keep quiet was worse than ever.

"Seriously, man, did I say something wrong?" Finley asked, feeling uneasy under Ronald's stare.

Ronald was in no mood to engage with him.

Shawn kept dialing Xander, but the call went unanswered.

...

Meanwhile, in the room, Xander turned on the TV, engrossed in his game. He was confident Ronald wouldn't act so quickly.

Stella could hear the incessant buzzing from another phone in his pocket.

"Your phone's been ringing," she pointed out.

"Shut up," Xander snapped.

What a jerk!

Stella rolled her eyes. She felt disheveled and wanted to go freshen up, but of course, this jerk wouldn't even let her go to the

bathroom, let alone return her

confiscated phone.

And yet, here he was, playing games, completely unfazed, as if Ronald wasn't about to burst in and turn him into Swiss cheese.noveldrama

"I'd like to play too," Stella said.

Xander scoffed. "Women shouldn't play games. You should learn to cook and arrange flowers."

Stella was taken aback. Cooking and flower arranging? Like a perfect little housewife?

To be fair, her mother had never pressured her and Yvonne into such things. While other high-society ladies focused on elegance and

poise, their mother had let them

grow freely.

en

Facing Xander's outdated mindset, Stella chose not to engage, turning her attention to the TV instead.

But Xander wasn't done yet. "So, since you've been in Portis City all these years, can you cook?"

"I can," Stella replied matter-of-factly.

Sure, she could cook. Whether anyone would survive eating it was another matter entirely.

Xander smirked. "You should cook for me sometime."

"Sure," Stella agreed without hesitation.

Xander raised an eyebrow. "You're not planning to poison your husband, are you? And don't forget, you blew up my kitchen once." Remembering that incident, Xander felt his anger flare up.

This woman had certainly become more unpredictable during her time in Portis City, her personality more fiery than ever.