Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 387

Seeing a stunning woman stepping into their path, Oakes and his companion paused and looked at her with curiosity.

The guy in the floral shirt chuckled. "What can we do for you, gorgeous? Don't tell me you lost everything inside and need cab fare home?"

"No, nothing like that," Stella replied earnestly. "I just have a quick question for the two of you, if you don't mind."

"Well, considering how pretty you are, ask away!" Talking to a beautiful woman wasn't exactly a hardship.

"I wanted to ask about what you were discussing in the VIP lounge. Who was the man named Todd from three years ago?" Stella skipped the small talk and cut straight to the chase.

Oakes looked surprised. "Why are you asking about him, little lady?" Others had poked around before, but nothing ever came of it.

"To be honest with you, I'm looking for him. He's been missing for a long time."

By then, Julius had already returned from a nearby vendor with a few cold drinks. He handed them over smoothly. "You've had a long night, gentlemen. Have a drink on us."

Oakes took the water, appreciating the young man's polite gesture, and sighed. "I honestly don't know much. All I know is that three years ago, an old man named Todd showed up here.

"He cleared out the tables and made an absolute fortune. But later on, rumor has it he racked up a massive debt with some loan sharks, couldn't pay it back, got his hand chopped off, and was chased out of Port City. As for the details, your guess is as good as mine."

Stella's brow furrowed tightly.

Owed loan sharks? Got his hand chopped off and driven out of the city?

A surname of Todd, and an old man... Could it really be her grandfather?

Seeing how distressed she looked, Julius stepped in to ask, "Do you know anyone else who might have more details about what happened?"

"Hard to say. But you could try asking that guy Drake who was playing earlier. He used to run the biggest loan shark operation in town before he went legitimate.

"Stella, it's getting really late. Let's head back. I'll help you track down this Drake tomorrow."

Stella's mood had plummeted. She let Julius lead her quietly back to the hotel.

After showering, they climbed into bed.

Seeing she was still incredibly tense, Julius pulled her into a warm embrace. "Stella, don't overthink it. There are a lot of people with the last name Todd. That man might not even be your grandfather."

Resting her head against his chest, she murmured softly, "I hope you're right. But just the thought that it might be him, that he might have lost a hand... I can't stop thinking about it."

If her grandfather hadn't taken her away from the Hawthorne family all those years ago, she would have been tortured to death by her stepmother and stepsister.

She was desperate to find him, and hearing such a horrifying rumor made it impossible for her to just brush it off.