Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 10

Stella smirked. "Mr. Hawthorne, I find that incredibly hard to believe. You'd willingly hand over such a golden ticket to me? Besides, Chloe is nineteen—well past the legal age. If this arrangement is as flawless as you claim, you could easily just have her get engaged now and officially tie the knot after graduation. So, what's your real angle?"

Frederick stiffened his neck stubbornly. "What angle could I possibly have? You're older than Chloe; it's only proper that you marry first. Nadine refused to wait that long; she wants a granddaughter-in-law immediately. I went out of my way to secure this for you, and you throw it back in my face like an ungrateful wretch."

Stella casually picked at her fingernails. "Is that so? They explicitly asked for Chloe, and you're swapping me in? Isn't that outright defrauding them? Are they really just going to accept that? Given how powerful they supposedly are, aren't you terrified they'll come after you?"

Frederick choked on her razor-sharp logic. Furious, he spat out, "That is for you to figure out! If you agree to marry into the Blackwood Family, I'll hand over your mother's belongings. If you refuse, you'll never see those items again. The choice is yours!"

Oh, so he was trying to blackmail her now? Too bad she was Stella Hawthorne. She was never one to be easily controlled.

"Fine, I accept. Now hand over my mother's things."

It was just a stall tactic anyway. The priority was getting her mother's belongings back!

Seeing her agree, Frederick exhaled a massive sigh of relief. He pulled a prepaid debit card from his pocket and tossed it onto the table.

"Then get yourself ready. The Blackwoods are sending a car for you in two days. This card has ten grand on it. Go to the mall and buy yourself some decent clothes. I refuse to let you show up at the Blackwoods looking like a peasant and embarrassing us."

Stella glanced down at the plastic card.

Ten grand? He thought he could buy her compliance with ten grand?

Was she really that cheap?

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