Chapter 13

[ 745 words ]

Now he kinda got why Cloudia blew her top every time. Just like she said, it was like dealing with a debt collector, impervious to reason. Soft approach didn’t work, so Blaise had no choice but to play hardball. “Fine, forget about the bank account for now. You ponder on it, and we’ll talk when you’ve thought it through.”

With those harsh words, Blaise walked away.

Silence fell.

Stella slammed the door shut and had barely made it back to the living room when her phone started buzzing.

It was Orion’s number.

Today, she had blocked multiple numbers – Yorick’s, Cloudia’s, and even Blaise’s.

Now, they were reaching out through someone else’s phone.

Predictably, Stella didn’t pick up.

…

On the other end of the line, Yorick had just left the Quarry Manor and was using Orion’s phone to call Stella.

Yet again, the call was disconnected, and when he tried once more, he was informed the number was busy – another block.

Yorick was seething with frustration, “Where the hell did she pick up this habit of not answering calls?”

Orion’s lips twitched.

“Ms. Quinn’s probably not just ignoring your calls.”

Ignoring calls was a sport, and as far as Orion was concerned, today wasn’t just a bad day for Yorick; the Larkin family was also at their wits’ end. Yorick’s headache intensified.

“Drive to Silk-River Residences.”

This was getting out of hand.

Orion nodded, “Alright.”

…

An hour later.

When they arrived at Silk-River Residences, it was already midnight, and Stella was asleep.

Yorick rang the doorbell incessantly, but she didn’t come to open the door.

Receiving a cold shoulder at this ungodly hour made Yorick’s already foul mood even worse. “Call a locksmith.”

Yorick was at the end of his tether.

Orion was like, “…”

He was about to pull out his phone to call for help when the door swung open from the inside.

There stood Stella, in her pajamas, looking groggy and pissed, wielding a baseball bat. Clearly, she had been rudely awakened and was ready to swing at the intruder.

With twitching lips, Orion swiftly stepped aside.

As Stella saw Yorick, her temper flared, and she swung the bat at him.

Yorick, quick on his feet, caught it, “You…”

He was gritting his teeth.

She just got physical this morning, and now again? Was her temper always this explosive? Just the mention of delaying the wedding had her up in arms? Inside the house, Stella tossed the baseball bat aside, “Spit it out already.”

Yorick headed for her fridge, opened it, and found nothing but water.

“Don’t you cook?”

Stella looked at him as if he were a nutcase.

Who, half-asleep and bothered in the middle of the night, would react well to someone inspecting their fridge and questioning their culinary habits? Stella was no exception to feeling irritated.

Yorick mentioned, “I haven’t eaten.”

After a day of turmoil, skipping lunch and a dinner disrupted by family drama, he was starving.

Stella’s gaze further confirmed that she was looking at a madman.

“Do you see anything here that looks like your dinner?”

Great, he was hinting that he was starving? Even she herself ate outside, now he was asking her to cook for him?

Was this man out of his mind? After the scene they had earlier, now he expected her to make him dinner?

Yorick’s jaws clenched in exasperation, “Can’t you cook?”

Stella retorted, “When have you ever seen me cook?”

Even if she knew how, she wouldn’t cook for him.

Yorick was out of words. Upon hearing it, he was momentarily taken aback, realizing that in the two years they had been engaged, Stella had indeed never cooked him a meal. Ursula, on the other hand, could do everything – cook, make soup. Back when she hadn’t left Portis City, she’d even bring meals to his office.

Stella, sensing his thoughts, chuckled sarcastically, “Mixing me up with Ursula?”

She knew her domestic skills paled in comparison to Ursula’s. Initially, upon her return to the Larkin family, Ursula hogged all domestic tasks, highlighting Stella’s lack of domestic prowess.

Naturally, everyone compared her unfavorably to Ursula – Ursula could do no wrong, and she, Stella, could do no right.

Yorick’s expression went sour, “Our wedding will proceed as planned. Happy now?”

He offered this grudgingly, hoping Stella would dial back her temper.

However, Stella, raising an eyebrow at his words, countered, “In the morning, you said it was postponed, and now, without even a night passing, you say it’s back on. You’re a grown up after all, changing your minds so quickly?” Her hinting at his inconsistency made Yorick feel a sting of embarrassment.

Stella pressed, “Does Ursula know?”

Judging by Yorick’s demeanor, it was clear he had visited the Quarry Manor.

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