Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 89

After dinner.

Julius led Stella to the living room, reached into a bag, and pulled out a box for her to see.

"What's this, Julius?"

"It's your mother's urn. I got it back for you. How do you want to handle it?"

Stella stared at the black box resting on the marble coffee table. Reaching out in disbelief, she gently touched the surface. "You're saying... these are my mother's ashes?"

Her primary reason for returning to the Hawthorne Family had been to secure her mother's remains. Almost two months had passed, and she hadn't found a single clue regarding where Frederick had hidden them.

She never expected Julius to simply hand it over to her.

"It's true. I went to the Hawthorne estate after work and retrieved it myself."

"Where did you find it? I searched that entire house. I practically tore the place down, and Frederick still refused to tell me."

"I got it, that's all. The process doesn't matter, only the result."

He absolutely refused to let her know what that scum of a father had done to her mother's remains.

It would completely break her.

Stella pulled the urn into her arms and sat quietly on the sofa for a long time before she finally spoke. "Julius, thank you."

Julius sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. "If you need to cry, let it out. You'll feel better."

Stella slowly shook her head. "I cried all my tears ten years ago. Right now, I'm just a little sad, and I really miss her. But I don't feel like crying anymore."

"Don't be sad. You have me now."

Stella leaned into his chest and murmured, "Julius, I need to leave town for a few days. I want to take her ashes to a peaceful place with beautiful scenery. That's what my grandfather wanted."

"Have you found a spot? If not, I can handle it for you."

"No need, I've already chosen the place. It's back where I grew up. The spiritual energy there is perfect, and I purchased a plot a long time ago."

Cremated human remains are supposed to be a coarse, grayish-brown powder. But the ashes dusting her hands were fine, smooth, and pure white—looking more like flour or talcum powder.

She pinched a bit between her fingers, rubbing it back and forth, her brow creasing into a deep frown.

This clearly wasn't bone ash. Did Julius know about this?

If Julius genuinely retrieved this from the Hawthorne estate last night, then what kind of sick game was Frederick playing?

Had Frederick played Julius for a fool? Or was Julius playing her?

Or was Frederick hiding some other twisted secret?

It seemed her trip back home was delayed. She needed to uncover the absolute truth.

She checked the time. By now, Frederick was already at the office. According to Julius, Frederick was riding high lately, aggressively expanding his company.

Naturally. A hundred-million bailout gave him a lot of room to operate.