Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella) novel Chapter 1062

If there was trouble, it probably had something to do with Uriah.

Yvonne was about to say more when Stella appeared at the top of the stairs, two maids trailing dutifully behind her. The moment Stella spotted Yvonne, she pouted, her annoyance plain as day, and marched straight over to plop down in the chair across from her.

One of the maids set a bowl of fruit on the table for Stella—it was well past breakfast, but Yvonne was only just starting hers. There was some kind of wellness brew waiting for Stella, too, but she barely glanced at it, picking at her fruit instead.

Yvonne glanced up and asked, “What’s got you so worked up?”

“Tegan was kidnapped yesterday,” Stella said, her voice clipped.

“What? But wasn’t Skye with her?”

“It’s a whole mess,” Stella sighed. “Skye stepped away for a minute—to the restroom, literally—and that’s all it took.”

“How’s Tegan now? Is she alright?”

“She’s safe for the moment,” Stella replied, but tension still bristled in her tone. “But she was stranded in a cave on the side of a cliff, with freezing water down below and nothing but smooth rock above—no way up and no way down. It was a setup.”

Helena and Leslie —vicious didn’t even begin to cover it. Tegan had run all the way to Yoreland, and still they wouldn’t leave her alone.

“Leslie’s people?” Yvonne guessed.

“Who else?” Stella scoffed. “Helena could never pull off something like that on her own. At best, she’s just a scapegoat. But Leslie—she can throw all the scapegoats she wants under the bus, we’re not letting her get away this time. We’ve got her in our sights, and we’re not letting go.”

“And Uriah?” Yvonne ventured.

Stella’s mood took another nosedive. If only Uriah hadn’t gotten involved. “I was just on the phone with him.”

She leaned forward, her voice lowering conspiratorially, though anger still seethed beneath every word. “I told him: everyone knows Leslie’s behind all this. Want to guess what he said?”

Yvonne raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“He said—and I quote—‘Leslie isn’t like that. Don’t listen to Tegan’s wild accusations.’”

Xander shrank back. Did he really say the wrong thing?

“If you don’t understand, keep out of it,” Yvonne hissed, her tone brooking no argument. Did he want to trigger World War III in the living room?

Stella’s snort was pure frost. “Of course, men always covering for each other. I suppose Ronald’s just as bad, is he?”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Yvonne didn’t waste a second—she gave Xander a sharp jab in the ribs.

“Ah—ow! What was that for?” Xander yelped.

Yvonne shot him a warning glare. “Don’t put your foot in it. When a woman’s angry and venting, the only job is to listen. You don’t argue. You don’t question. Unless you’re asking for trouble.”

Especially since, as far as Stella was concerned, Ronald had been her rock since childhood. She wouldn’t tolerate anyone, not even Xander, suggesting a single bad word about him.