Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella)
Chapter 149

After parting ways with Susanna, Stella had barely set foot in her studio when Idris sent over all the details on Jaxon's mystery woman.

Turned out she was indeed from Nocturne Hues. Back there, she claimed to be serving the VIP rooms, complete with an address and phone number.

Just as she was about to head back to her office, Tabitha stopped her in her tracks, "Boss, I called you three times. Why didn't you pick up?"

"Phone was on silent. What's up?"

Stella was notoriously averse to overtime, a trait she maintained since the inception of her studio. Tabitha was well aware that their boss was, in fact, quite the slacker. Her instances of staying late were few and far between. "That Cloudia stopped by."

Stella was speechless.

Cloudia? Again?

Seemed like she needed to stir up trouble for the Larkin family, or else Cloudia would be constantly bugging her.

And she still refused to sign the disownment agreement.

How utterly annoying!

"How long has she been here?"

Tabitha responded, "Been waiting for you for two hours."

That she had the patience to wait this long must be due to Ursula's antics. Recalling Ursula's taunts over the phone, Stella couldn't help but snicker!

Just as she was about to make her way to the office, her phone buzzed in her hand.

Stella answered, and Ronald's tender, indulgent voice came through, "What did you have for lunch?"

"Steak!"

Wasn't great, so she didn't eat much. She wasn't a fan of that stuff, but since her favorite wasn't available, nothing else really mattered.

Ronald asked, "I'm downstairs. You coming down, or should I come up?"

Stella said, "You're here to see me now?"

"Yeah, got something for you."

"Then wait a sec."

Cloudia's presence wasn't intimidating to her; she just didn't want to spark any confrontations.

More importantly, she didn't want

Ronald to witness firsthand how despicable her own kin could be. Despite her efforts to distance herself, the familial ties still made her somewhat uncomfortable.

Stepping out of the building, Stella spotted Ronald's custom ride from a distance. She strode over, and Idris respectfully opened the car door for her. Stella climbed in, "What's this something you've got for me?"

Meeting the man's profound and noble gaze, Stella felt her heart flutter uncontrollably! It was as if she was being drawn into his world.

Ronald pulled out a necklace from a blue velvet box, its pendant so beautiful it was breathtaking.

"Is that the 'Aurora'?"

Stella recognized its quality at a

glance! She had seen this diamond at an auction once and had

marveled at its beauty. Its purity net

exceptional craftsmanship, and

attention to detail were astonishing.

QUMS

Now, Ronald had turned it into a necklace and presented it to her.

"Your hair."He reminded her gently.

Stella asked, "Is this for me?"

"Yeah, let me put it on you."

Stella was at loss for words. Wasn't this a bit too pricey?

But facing Ronald's intense gaze, she dared not utter a word of refusal; knowing his temperament, she reckoned he might just toss it out of the car right then and there. She quickly swept her hair aside.

As the man leaned in, his breath on her nape was warm, contrasting with the coolness of the necklace, causing Stella's heartbeat to nearly stop.

Especially with his presence

enveloping her, she felt a profound

sense of being protected under his wings. This feeling was so familiar, so much so, that Stella almost felt moved to tears.

Ronald secured the necklace and admired it, "Beautiful."

Stella sniffed, "Why suddenly give me this? And it's so expensive."

"Consider it a belated birthday gift."

At that, Stella's heart skipped a beat again.

Birthday Gift.

Her mind flashed back to how lonely her birthday was this year at the Silk-River Residences. The Larkins and Yorick had all flown overseas to be with Ursula.