Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 97

Stella pretended to be entirely oblivious to the person creeping up on her.

Just as she felt the rush of air from a karate chop aimed at her neck, she smoothly dropped into a crouch, pretending to tie her shoe.

The attacker had intended to knock her out quietly and drag her away. He completely miscalculated her sudden movement.

His hand swiped empty air, and the sheer force of his missed swing threw him off balance. Stella decided to be helpful and assist his fall.

As she stood up from 'tying' her lace, she subtly extended a foot, tripping him. The movement was so natural and the angle so perfect that even on security cameras, it would look like an accident.

With Stella's helpful nudge, the man predictably fell flat on his face.

Stella immediately screamed, "Help! Somebody help! A man just collapsed!"

A security guard rushed over.

"Sir, this man just tripped and I think he passed out! Hurry, you need to help him!"

"Right away, miss. Thank you," the guard said, but as soon as he approached, the man scrambled to his feet.

"Sir, are you alright?" the guard asked kindly.

"I'm fine," the massive foreigner grunted, shooting Stella a dark look before hurrying away.

Stella's eyes narrowed.

Wasn't that Steve? The towering brute she had one-shot at the Recess Club?

Why was he trying to ambush her?

Was he still humiliated by his defeat and looking for revenge?

The secretary stood in front of Frederick's desk, delivering the grim news.

Frederick shot up from his leather chair. "How did this happen? Didn't we agree to delay their payments until our next funding round cleared?"

The secretary sighed helplessly. "Sir, if we can't secure an immediate influx of cash, Hawthorne Corp. will have to file for bankruptcy."

Frederick collapsed heavily back into his chair. "Bankruptcy? I just expanded the company. Everything was running perfectly fine. Where exactly did it go wrong?"

"I had someone look into it, sir. We can't trace exactly who is behind it, but there is undoubtedly a powerful entity orchestrating this behind the scenes. Someone wants us bankrupt. Have you offended anyone recently? Is this retaliation?"

Frederick wracked his brain. "Offended someone? I've been so busy with the expansion, drinking at networking events, negotiating deals... I honestly can't think of anyone I've crossed."

The secretary frowned. "If no one was pulling the strings, why would all the suppliers suddenly riot on the exact same day?"

Frederick stared at his desk, deep in thought, before ordering, "Placate them for now. Tell them payroll will go out as scheduled and warn them not to spread rumors.