Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella) novel Chapter 1072

His breath came in quick, shallow bursts as he looked straight at Hull. “You are…?”

Hull smiled, low and cold. “Not bad. The grand story of your love—built on the corpses of others. I guess that’s what makes your devotion so legendary, so rare, so precious… so special.”

Derek shivered. Those words cut deeper than a knife.

Hull’s eyes gleamed. “Starting to remember now?”

Derek was silent, but the memories were rushing back whether he wanted them or not. He broke the silence, voice strained: “Who are you, really?”

Hull’s smile was mocking. “Take a guess. Who would go this far—for a family, for vengeance against you?”

“That can’t be… no. Back then, the Miguel family was completely—”

“Wiped out? Every last one, isn’t that what you think?” Hull interrupted, his tone razor-sharp.

Derek fell silent again.

Hull tutted, shaking his head in mock disappointment. The menace in his gaze was unmistakable. “You really thought your precious Adelle was someone to be worshipped—like every man on earth wanted her. Anyone who got too close, you destroyed without a second thought.”

Hull’s voice dripped with sarcasm as he spoke of Derek and Adelle’s past. Derek’s possessiveness had always been a storm—anyone who came too close to Adelle ended up broken or dead.

Hull’s father hadn’t even had any kind of relationship with Adelle. He’d simply been in the wrong place, in the way of Derek’s suspicion. The Miguel family’s downfall had happened all because, when Adelle was fleeing, half-dead and wounded, Hull’s grandmother had taken her in for three days. That was all it took for Derek to convince himself that Adelle and Hull’s father were lovers.

No surprise how it ended. Derek burned the Miguel family to the ground, sparing no one—except, as fate would have it, Hull.

“So, you’re here for revenge. All this time. Getting close to Susanna was just another way to get at me, wasn’t it?” Derek’s voice rose to a roar.

At last, he remembered—he knew who Hull was. Years ago, he’d let one child from the Miguel family walk away, thinking, “A kid can't stir up much trouble.” But that carelessness had come back to haunt him in the worst possible way.

Derek could feel the blood pounding in his temples.

Hull regarded him with an icy, merciless stare.

Right then, Susanna piped up, “Hey! Look, whatever’s between you two, leave me out of it!”

Derek was livid, his whole body trembling. Susanna could only stare in shock.

Finally, unable to stand the crushing tension, Derek stormed out in rage.

Now, only Susanna and Hull remained.

Susanna grumbled under her breath, “You’re the worst.”

Hull snorted. “You’re blaming me? I’m just helping your mother.” As he spoke, he reached out and gently pulled Susanna into his arms.

Susanna froze—caught off guard. “Helping Mom?” Was that true? Hull and Derek had such bad blood; Hull genuinely wanted Derek dead. But instead of dealing the final blow, he’d spent all this time making sure Black Gate couldn’t breathe.

“You do know something about my mom, don’t you?” Susanna pressed, looking up at him.

Hull’s eyes glinted. “She wants Black Gate.”