Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 372

"Covered in bites? I wasn't aware of that," Julius lied effortlessly. "There were so many guests last night, I didn't notice. But realistically, that shouldn't have happened. The gardens were fully prepped for pest control. Send me a picture, let me see."

Julius was playing dumb. He wanted the picture just so he could show Stella later—he knew she’d get a kick out of seeing the aftermath. They had spent a rather wild night together, and today, he had skipped work entirely just to stay home and pamper his wife.

"Alright, I'll send it over." After hanging up, Byron snapped a picture of Rhoda Ford and texted it to Julius. With her face so swollen, no one would be able to tell who she was anyway.

Julius received the image and immediately texted back: "Give me a moment. I'll have the security team check the cameras."

Once the message was sent, he turned his phone toward Stella. "Come look at your masterpiece."

He had glanced at it himself and was genuinely surprised by the sheer devastation. The woman's features were entirely unrecognizable. His wife certainly didn't hold back.

Stella took the phone, took one look, and burst out laughing. "She literally looks like a swollen balloon. That's Rhoda. Byron must have run into the Fords at the hospital."

"How can you even tell that's Rhoda?" Julius asked, genuinely bewildered.

"Because I gave her a heavy extra dose of the mosquito attractant. Yvonne shouldn't look nearly as bad."

"Do you hate Rhoda more?" Julius knew his wife was incredibly fair; she wouldn't have gone to such extremes unless the woman had repeatedly crossed the line.

"Oh, absolutely. She's awful. Let me tell you..."

Like a kid reporting a bully to her favorite person, Stella happily rattled off every single time Rhoda had intentionally tried to ruin her.

From the Ember Bar incident to Shirley & Co. Jewelers, then Sylvie Jennings' birthday party, the clash at Crestview Plaza, the perfume tasting event, and finally last night—Rhoda had targeted her six separate times.

If she hadn't made the woman suffer a little, it would have been a disservice to all the skills her master had taught her.

As Julius listened, his expression darkened to a dangerous storm. His mind was already calculating exactly how he was going to destroy the Ford family.

Stella smiled brightly. "Deal."

Hold back?

Not in her vocabulary.

Still, having someone so fiercely protective of her felt incredibly nice.

"So, how are you going to reply to Byron?" she asked.

"Don't worry. I prepared something this morning while you were still sleeping. Watch this."

Julius tapped his screen and pulled up a video for her to see.