Chapter 1049

[ 678 words ]

For Stella, having to hear Xander badmouth Ronald was every bit as nerve- wracking as listening to Uriah sing Leslie’s praises. Either way, both conversations grated on her last nerve.

She was still seething when Uriah called again. She answered, barely managing to contain her annoyance.

“Tell Tegan to cut it out with these stunts!” Uriah barked the moment the line connected. “And get her to stop dodging my calls and maybe take my number off her blocked list while she’s at it!”

His tone was heated-clearly still fuming over being blocked, growing more exasperated with every failed attempt to reach Tegan.

But Stella had no patience for his drama. Her eyes narrowed sharply. “Stunts?” she echoed, every syllable biting.

Yvonne, catching Stella’s tone, instantly knew Uriah must have said something unforgivably stupid on the other end. That man was hopeless-no wonder Tegan had finally distanced herself from him. Who could stand that kind of insensitivity?

With a sharp clang, Stella dropped her spoon into her bowl, making Yvonne jump in her seat. She’d never seen Stella this livid before, though, come to think of it, she’d heard stories of Stella losing her temper back in Portis City. Maybe she’d been right all along—nothing good ever came out of Portis City. Every run-in with anyone from there left her fuming.

Seeing Yvonne shrink back, Stella snatched up her phone and walked off to a quieter corner, voice cold as ice. “Have you lost your mind, Uriah?” she snapped. “She spent eight hours trapped in a cave on a freezing cliff yesterday-eight hours! By the time they found her, she was barely conscious, nearly hypothermic. And you’re telling me this was some kind of game? You think she hiked out there for fun?”

“Do you even realize it’s snowing in Yoreland right now? Do you even know how cold it is?” Eight hours-did he have any idea what that meant? Did he even care about what Tegan had gone through? And now he dared to brush it all off as nothing?

“But my people say she was at the hospital this morning,” Uriah protested, as if that proved his point.

Stella just stared at her phone, speechless.

“You’re telling me she was freezing to death in some cave yesterday?” Uriah pressed on. “Stella, you’re her best friend, but you can’t just take her word for it.”

For a moment, Stella genuinely wanted to reach through the phone and strangle him. She’d never met anyone this infuriating.

“Fine,” she bit out. “Believe whatever you want.”

Without another word, she hung up. Uriah… Seriously? After all that, he still thought Tegan was making it all up?

She remembered what Tegan had told her before she left: Uriah always gave in to her, except when Leslie was involved. Then Tegan was the one left behind, every single time.

Stella clenched her jaw, trying—and failing—to keep her anger in check. She pulled out her phone again, this time dialing one of her contacts in Yoreland.

The call connected almost immediately. “Miss?”

“Report the kidnapping to the police,” Stella ordered, voice sharp with barely contained fury.

There was a pause on the line.

“And hand over every single person

involved. No exceptions. All of

them,” she added, practically

vibrating with anger. She couldn’t believe Uriah was this dense, that he still believed every word out of Leslie’s mouth.

After the kidnapping yesterday, Stella’s people had caught the perpetrators just as they were about to collect payment from Leslie. After some persuasive questioning, they gave up Tegan’s location, Leslie thehem afterward, but got nothing-her calls went unanswered, and the money in the account was never withdrawn. Of course Leslie was panicking, scrambling to get ahold of them. But it was too late-Stella was sending everything, the kidnappers and the proof of Leslie’s bribery, straight to the police.

“Yes, Miss,” came the respectful reply.

When Stella finally hung up, the anger was still simmering in her chest, threatening

to boil over. Ronald caught sight of her as he walked in, her cheeks flushed with

rage.

He reached for her gently. “Hey,

what’s got you worked up again? he

murmured, giving her hand a

you’ll

reassuring squeeze Carefur you!! stress the babies. They can feel it, you know?”

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