Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 68

He signaled his driver to bring the gifts from the trunk into the Hawthorne house, adding, "Mr. Hawthorne, this is just a small token of our appreciation. I hope you'll accept it."

Since Stella told him to call the man Mr. Hawthorne, he was going to listen to his wife.

Frederick was annoyed but didn't dare show it in front of Julius. He forced a smile. "You didn't have to bring gifts! We have everything we need here. Come on inside, the sun is too hot out here."

With that, he led the way inside.

Chloe watched the exchange, practically green with envy.

She never expected Mr. Blackwood to be so tall and devastatingly handsome. A gorgeous, top-tier billionaire like him was supposed to be hers! Why did Stella get so lucky?

She quickly hurried inside and eagerly offered to pour tea for Julius.

"Mr. Blackwood, this is from my father's private collection. He usually refuses to let anyone drink it, but he brought it out specifically because he knew you were coming. Please, try it and see if you like it."

Julius's voice was icy. "Set it down. I only drink tea poured by Stella."

Hearing this, Stella grabbed a fresh cup and poured him a new serving. "Husband, your tea."

Julius accepted it and took a polite sip.

The sight infuriated Chloe so much she nearly snapped her freshly manicured nails.

After sitting for a few moments, Stella spoke up. "Husband, I'm going to run upstairs to grab something. Wait here for a second."

"Alright, go ahead. I'll wait."

Stella headed upstairs, but less than two minutes later, she came back down, her eyes completely red.

Julius wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders, his voice full of concern. "What's wrong? I thought you were just grabbing some things. Why are you crying?"

He hadn't even started buttering Julius up or brought up the wedding fund! Why were they leaving?

What the hell was going on?

Oh, right! Stella had gone upstairs, and then all this happened!

No, he had to fix this immediately!

He scrambled up and stopped them in their tracks, putting on his most sycophantic smile. "Julius, please don't leave! We've prepared a massive feast for you. At least stay for lunch! Stella, don't be upset. It's just your sister being completely thoughtless and taking your room. Daddy will make her give it right back to you."

He spun around and ruthlessly backhanded Chloe across the face, screaming:

"You ungrateful brat! Who gave you permission to take your sister's room? Get upstairs right now, pack your trash, and give her room back!"