Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 5

Miranda couldn't bear to let her precious daughter become a widow, which was why she had stalled the Blackwoods without officially declining. Now that Stella had conveniently delivered herself right to their doorstep, it felt like a gift from above.

"Exactly. The Blackwoods are loaded. If we send her in your place, we get to keep the wedding fund, and when Mr. Blackwood dies, she'll inherit a massive fortune. Honestly, I'm doing her a favor."

Frederick nodded eagerly in agreement. "She's right. Having her join the Blackwood Family benefits all of us."

His rationale was simple: marrying her off meant he wouldn't have to look at her anymore, plus he'd pocket a ridiculous amount of money. And when Mr. Blackwood finally kicked the bucket, Stella would get a huge payout. He could easily step in as her 'concerned father' to manage the inheritance, secretly funneling it into his own struggling company.

And if she somehow succeeded in this marriage, the Hawthornes would secure the ultimate ally. Even if the Blackwoods just threw a few scraps his way, Frederick would be set for life.

It was killing several birds with one stone. Absolutely perfect!

The more Frederick thought about it, the more brilliant Miranda's plan seemed. He could practically see the mountains of cash flowing toward him.

"You always were the smart one," he praised her.

...

Upstairs, completely unaware of the den of vipers plotting against her, Stella dragged a pile of discarded items to the landing and yelled, "Hey!" down the stairs.

The three of them snapped their heads up at the shout.

"Chloe, do you still want these clothes? If not, get someone to throw them away."

Unfazed, Stella calmly pulled her phone from her pocket, opened the camera, and hit record.

Frederick and Miranda finally snapped out of their shock and hurried over.

Pointing up at Stella, Frederick bellowed, "What on earth are you doing? Turn that phone off!"

Miranda hauled the hysterical Chloe off the floor, frantically brushing imaginary dust from her outfit. "Stella, stealing her room was one thing, but throwing her clothes out like this? You've gone entirely too far!"

"You're wrong on two counts, homewrecker," Stella replied coolly. "First, that's my room, not hers. Second, those clothes reeked, and they were polluting the air quality in my space.

And anyway, I didn't throw them out. I specifically asked her if she wanted them, and when she didn't answer, I assumed she wanted them stored down there. You can just have someone clean them up, right?"