Chapter 983
[ 672 words ]
Stella didn’t even bother replying-she turned away, her jaw tight with indignation.
Finley could only stare after her, speechless. Who said pregnancy brain was a real thing? This woman was sharp as ever.—if anything, even harder to placate.
Downstairs, he was desperately trying to figure out how to convince Stella to call Skye Yoder for news about Tegan. Meanwhile, upstairs, the air felt icy and tense.
Ronald sat with his fingers steepled, an intimidating energy radiating from every line of his body. On the other side of the desk, Idris finished looking through the photos and Mona’s schedule for Novaderma; his own eyes grew cold.
“I never imagined Mona could be so devious,” he said quietly.
Ronald closed his eyes, a dangerous calm about him. “You have one day, Idris. I want to know everything-start to finish.”
“Yes, sir.” Idris inclined his head.
Since Regina’s accident years ago, the Schultz family had kept a low profile around Ronald. Mona especially had been so unobtrusive, few even remembered she was around. Who would have guessed she was capable of something so vicious?
Idris knew exactly what Ronald meant. He wanted a full picture every detail of their plan.
“Go,” Ronald ordered.
Idris nodded again, scooping up the files and heading out.
As soon as Ronald was alone, he pulled out his phone and called Xander.
In Litamark, Xander rubbed a hand over his throbbing forehead. Nothing he said could convince Yvonne that the baby was his. Worse, Yvonne was so furious at Dan that, pregnancy or not, she looked ready to storm down and knock his lights out— again.
In fact, she’d already sent Dan to the hospital.
Yvonne, meanwhile, kept making a scene, insisting she didn’t want the baby at all.
The moment Ronald’s name flashed on his phone, Xander nearly sagged in relief, as if salvation had arrived. “Please, talk some sense into her. I’m losing my mind over here “
He’d never felt so tongue-tied in his life. How had things gotten so out of hand? Why wouldn’t Yvonne believe him?
Why was she so sure no man in all of Ferrowland—least of all Xander-would ever dare get close to her like that? That’s why she kept blaming Dan, refusing to let him off the hook.
She’d even started suspecting Dan had something on him, forcing Xander to take the blame for everything—first the night together, now the pregnancy. What kind of dirt could Dan have, anyway?
“You still haven’t cleared things up?” Ronald’s voice was merciless. “Pathetic.”
“Hey—come on. That’s just uncalled for!” Xander protested.
“You have no idea what it’s like—having a mouth and being utterly unable to explain yourself. Never mind, you wouldn’t get it,” Xander groaned.
Silence.
“Stella would believe you if you told her the sun rose in the west!” Xander snapped, unable to hide his
Severy word
frustration “She trusts every word
out of your mouth. You trust her the
same. Try being me for a minute.”
“That’s because you and Dan have zero credibility with her,” Ronald replied flatly.
“Give me a break-!”
“That’s enough. Bring her back here. As for your Schultz family, I’ll grind them to dust and toss them to the dogs.”
Xander’s jaw dropped, speechless.
He gawked at the phone, incredulous. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
ant to
“Ronald, don’t you think you’re going too far? Don’t you ever wonder what you’ve put the Schultz family through these past few years? Xander shot back. “Now you grind us up and feed us to the dogs? I never did anything to you or to Stella, for that matter!”
When it came to being the fall guy, Xander couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for Dan. He’d been there himself shouldering load he didn’t deserve, paying the price for something he never did. The sense of injustice was galling.
“Berry,” Ronald said, voice dropping to an icy note, “is your stepmother’s daughter.”
Xander blinked. “Come again? Wasn’t Berry the one who confessed to you and then got banished from Stella’s side?”
That was exactly it. Berry had poured out her feelings to Ronald. She might not have had direct contact with him when she was with Stella, but that didn’t stop her from falling hard.
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