Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 99

Stella casually picked at her fingernails. "Oh, Mr. Hawthorne. I thought it was a scammer. I almost blocked the number."

Julius really worked fast. They had just finalized the plan yesterday, and here was Frederick, already calling her today.

Frederick was seething inside, but forced a warm laugh. "Stella, come home for dinner tonight. Dad misses you. I want to see you."

Stella let out a light chuckle. "Mr. Hawthorne, you're being so incredibly fake. Chloe might appreciate those lines, but don't try that nauseating act on me. I just ate, and I'd really rather not throw up."

Frederick missed her?

He would be thrilled if she died in a ditch!

Frederick's knuckles turned white. He took a deep breath and relaxed his grip. "Stella, are you still mad at me? We're family. There's no such thing as an unforgivable grudge between father and daughter. Bring Julius home for dinner tonight."

If Stella brought Julius, it would be even better. Even if she refused to hand over the wedding fund, he could just ask Julius to bail his company out.

Julius was filthy rich; he wouldn't care about throwing a little pocket change his way.

His company's only issue was that he had expanded too aggressively. Once he survived this cash flow bottleneck, Hawthorne Corp. was destined for greatness.

The more Frederick thought about it, the wider his smile grew. "You have to come back, Stella. I'll have Miranda make all your favorite dishes."

"Oh, Frederick, yelling so loud... I'm terrified," Stella deadpanned, and immediately hung up.

"Wait—Stella—!" The line went dead with a dial tone.

"That ungrateful bitch! She's trying to kill me!" Frederick screamed, hurling his phone against the wall.

Miranda quickly rushed over, rubbing his back to soothe him. "Frederick, calm down. The most important thing right now is getting our hands on the money she has. If Stella is going to be difficult, why don't we just go straight to the Blackwood Group and talk to Julius? He certainly won't be as stingy as that country girl. We are his in-laws, after all. If he dares to just stand by and watch us sink, it'll ruin his reputation and tank his stock prices. Plus, it looks like he actually treats Stella decently. Whether it's for her sake or his company's PR, he won't ignore us."

Frederick considered Miranda's words. It made perfect sense. "You're right. That's a brilliant idea. Let's go to the Blackwood Group and see Julius."