Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella)
Chapter 25

Breathing was a luxury Stella couldn't afford for a few seconds. Trembling, she answered the call, "Hello?"

"Ms. Quinn"

The voice on the other end was all too familiar. As Stella's face stiffened, a torrent of uncontrolled emotions surged in her eyes.

With difficulty, she managed to say, "It's me."

"Mr. Quinn's flight lands in Portis City at 8 PM tonight. He expects you to be there to meet him personally."

Stella's breath hitched violently.

"He's coming to Portis City?"

He had finally found her!

The thought of the shopping spree she had accidentally charged to the wrong card yesterday - she hadn't expected him to find out and come so quickly.

The person on the other end was his assistant, Idris! Despite his respectful tone over the phone, he was a feared figure in Ferrowland, known for his ruthlessness.

Even the assistant was intimidating! Let alone the man behind him, Ronald Quinn, the man who had taken her in and raised her.

Idris continued, "Yes, and Mr. Quinn also mentioned that you better have a good explanation ready, or else..."

Or else what? Idris didn't finish his sentence.

But Stella felt a shiver run down her spine.

She didn't even remember how she hung up the call. The rest of the afternoon, Stella was restless, her mind wandering even during meetings.

Ronald Quinn - the man everyone from the Larkin family wanted to know about, the man who had raised her, who held sway over both the lawful and the lawless in Ferrowland, where he was considered a king of the night. And to her, he was a calamity....

Memories of the events that led her to leave Ferrowland three years ago flashed through her mind, bringing tears to her eyes.

As she finished work at 6 PM and left the office building, her phone buzzed incessantly. Absentmindedly, Stella answered, "Hello?"

"Did you really block my number?"

It was Cloudia's irritated voice on the line. Her tone was almost cannibalistic towards Stella.

Stella retorted, "When have I ever joked with you?"

Even if there were jokes, they were between the Larkin family and Ursula.

As for her...

She hadn't grown up by their side, and they always had numerous demands of her, criticizing her every move. Cloudia was always stern and reproachful.

As Cloudia heard Stella's icy tone, her headache intensified in frustration.

"You, you, I'm asking you, Tegan is your best friend right? Was it your doing with her trip abroad?"

Stella admitted, "Yes, it was me. So what?"

"You..."

Cloudia was berserk! She had expected Stella to at least deny it, but there was no attempt to hide the truth. So, what did the Larkin family mean to her after all? "You admit it?"

"Why wouldn't I? Given the situation between Ursula and me, isn't it normal for me to play some tricks?"

Ursula was hypocritical, always scheming behind her back.

What kind of skill was that? If she was going to do something, better do it openly!

Cloudia was taken aback by her straightforwardness, almost fainting.

"You...you..."

"What about me? Mrs. Larkin, do you want me to call Tegan back to cure her illness?"

The use of "Mrs. Larkin" sent Cloudia in a momentary daze. Until then she remembered since Stella returned to the Larkin family, she hadn't called her "mom" even once. But she hadn't used "Mrs. Larkin" either. This sudden formal address made Cloudia uncomfortable. She couldn't help but say, "I'm your mother."

Stella replied, "Mrs. Larkin, are you looking to argue over something as meaningless as this on the phone?"

Hearing this, Cloudia felt as if her heart was being squeezed, a mix of suffocation and pain. She took a few deep breaths, "Let Tegan come back, I've unblocked your card."

It sounded like a compromise, almost a concession. She was willing to unblock the card just to get Tegan back to treat Ursula, so everything was still about Ursula.

Stella chuckled lightly, "Two thousand a month for pocket money to buy Ursula's life?"

The irony wasn't lost on her.

The Larkin family could easily spend over ten thousand on a single piece of jewelry for Ursula, and her monthly allowance was in the tens of thousands.

In contrast, when Stella first returned to the Larkin family, she was given ten thousand a month.

Later, because of a mere comment from Ursula about the difficulty of adjusting from luxury to frugality, Cloudia decided to cut her allowance to five thousand until she learned to manage money. Because of a foster daughter's word, it was halved!

Even five thousand wasn't enough for Ursula, who complained that Stella "had no social life and couldn't possibly spend that much".

Cloudia insisted that they had everything at home. She and Ursula were different; she didn't need to socialize or entertain like those rich heiresses, so she couldn't spend that much. Thus, five thousand became two thousand.

Now, because of Ursula, it was completely blocked.

But did they really think Stella cared?

Her words now made Cloudia so angry she felt close to a heart attack, "Y-You're too much."

Once again, Cloudia was certain that she was not a daughter but a jinx, returning to collecting the debt. She regretted bringing Stella back.

"What do you want then? Name your price!"

Cloudia felt this was her biggest concession.

However, what came back through the phone was the sound of a disconnection. When she tried calling again, her number had been block-listed. She felt like she was going to explode with rage, especially now, struggling even to breathe.