Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 12

He wore a sharp suit and highly polished shoes, his hair combed impeccably in place, bearing a somewhat stern expression on his face. However, once out of the car, he adjusted his demeanor, flashing a professional butler's smile as he held a box in his hands.

The trailing cars stopped as well, and several bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses stepped out.

Frederick and Miranda had been waiting eagerly by the door. Seeing the visitors arrive, they hurried forward to greet them.

"Hello, I am Larry from the Blackwood Family. Nadine sent me to pick up Ms. Hawthorne."

"Hello, Larry. Please, come inside."

The couple ushered Larry into the house with overwhelming enthusiasm.

Chloe had already been sent away by Miranda, who worried that her presence might ruin their plans.

Upon entering the Hawthorne residence, Larry saw a young woman sitting in the living room and assumed she must be the Hawthorne daughter.

He nodded to himself approvingly. She was quite pretty—radiant, innocent-looking, and pristine.

It seemed the Hawthorne family was completely shameless, actually selling off their daughter for a hundred-million-dollar wedding fund. What normal family could bear to marry off their daughter to a dead man walking?

He only hoped that this young woman could truly fulfill the purpose of the warding-off-death marriage and help Julius survive.

Not one for idle chatter, he decided to get straight to the point. "Mr. Hawthorne, I won't waste time with pleasantries. This is the Blackwood Family's gesture of sincerity: a hundred-million-dollar wedding fund and five luxury real estate deeds. Take a look. If everything is in order, I'll be taking Ms. Hawthorne with me."

Frederick took the box, looking at the bank card and the five property deeds inside, grinning from ear to ear. He beamed and said, "No problem at all. You can take her right away."

After he finished speaking, he called out, "Stella, come here. Larry is here to pick you up."

A moment later, she came back down holding a box and handed it to Frederick.

Frederick took the box and whispered in Stella's ear, "Here are the things you wanted; they're all inside. Your mother set the combination, and we don't know it. You'll have to guess it yourself."

Stella took the box and glanced at it. There was indeed a combination lock on it. She wasn't in a hurry to open it. Instead, she whispered back to Frederick, "And where is my mother's urn?"

"I'll tell you once you're obediently settled at the Blackwoods. If you act up there, don't blame me for scattering your mother's ashes. You won't be able to get them back even if you beg."

He refused to believe he couldn't keep her under his thumb!

Stella flashed a sweet smile, stepping back from him, and said sweetly, "Thank you for the advice, Dad. I'll be leaving with Larry now. Take good care of your health."

Those who knew her well understood that whenever she flashed that perfectly harmless, sweet smile, it meant she was at her most furious—which meant someone was about to be in very serious trouble.