Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 111

Frederick Hawthorne even looked at the baseball bat in his hand, unable to figure out why Stella had thrown a tantrum and shoved it into his grip.

He simply couldn't stand the sight of her rolling on the floor and throwing a fit, so he took two steps forward to pull her up.

He immediately retracted his outstretched hand, terrified that this vulgar, unreasonable girl might pull him down with her, so he simply extended the bat and said, "Get up."

Stella hugged her head with both hands, curling into a tight ball as she whimpered in terror, "Don't hit me! Please don't hit me!"

Frederick pointed the bat at her. "I..."

Before the words *I'm not trying to hit you* could even leave his mouth, a furious roar thundered from the doorway. "Stop! If you dare bully my wife, you're dead!"

Julius Blackwood strode into the room, snatching the baseball bat from Frederick’s grip. He scooped Stella up from the floor, cradling her against his chest as he murmured, "Don't be afraid. I'm here. No one is ever going to hurt you again."

Stella buried her face in his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. She sobbed softly, laying on the grievances thick and heavy:

"Hubby, Mr. Hawthorne was going to beat me to death, and Miranda was going to smash the bangle my mom left me! Chloe even said she was going to steal you away from me,

and they told me I had to fork over that one hundred million wedding fund or I'd never walk out of this house alive, and I'd never get to see you again.

Oh, hubby, thank God you showed up, or you might have lost me forever! It was terrifying!"

Stella played the role of a fragile, helpless victim to absolute perfection. She thought her performance was flawless—Hollywood honestly owed her an Oscar.

Heart aching for her, Julius gently settled her onto the sofa and rubbed her back in soothing circles. "Shh, it's okay. They're monsters. You have me now."

The scene he had walked in on was Frederick pointing a bat at Stella, looking like he was about to strike her.

Frederick frantically stepped in. "Wait, wait! Don't smash anything!"

He rushed over to Julius, pasting on an apologetic, sycophantic smile. "My dear son-in-law, this is all just a massive misunderstanding!"

Facing Julius, Frederick didn't dare show a shred of temper.

"Who are you calling your son-in-law? Stella already said she was cutting ties with you. You'd better stick to calling me Mr. Blackwood."

He finally understood why Stella hated the Hawthorne family so much. Being born into a toxic environment like this must have been incredibly suffocating for her.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Blackwood. It was all a misunderstanding just now. I had no intention of hitting Stella. She's my daughter, why would I ever lay a hand on her? I was just trying to pull her up, and she threw herself onto the floor all on her own."

Julius's eyes flashed with dark fury. "I saw it with my own eyes, and you still have the audacity to lie. It's obvious how relentlessly you all abuse her behind closed doors. You don't even deserve to be her father. No wonder she wants absolutely nothing to do with you."