Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella)

"We need to fly to Cyris Isle immediately."

"Right now?"

Ronald nodded. "Yeah, right now. I've already arranged for some summer clothes to be sent over for you."

Cyris Isle was in the middle of a scorching summer, and Stella's outfit from the plane was totally unsuitable.

"But I'm starving," Stella said, looking at Ronald with hopeful eyes.

Could they maybe eat something before heading out? She hadn't eaten in two days and nights, and running around in Patrina had completely drained her energy.

Not to mention the long haul with him on the plane.

Thinking about it made Stella give Ronald a resentful look.

"I'm tired, hungry, and sore."

Ronald's eyes softened as he gently tousled her hair. "Food will be here soon."

Stella perked up. "Okay, as long as I get to eat."

As Ronald helped remove her scarf, his gaze fell on the faint marks underneath.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, his voice quieter now.

The question caught Stella off guard. Her face went beet red, and her mind blanked for a moment.

This time, Ronald was especially patient. Although it was hard for him to control himself, he didn't want to hurt her. Instead, he made Stella experience an unprecedented sense of bliss.

But his stamina was... overwhelming so much so that, even without any injuries, it still hurt a little after such a long time.

She managed a small nod. "Just a bit."

Ronald chuckled at her flushed face and pinched her cheek gently. "Go freshen up. Food's waiting."

With that, he stepped out.

Stella dashed into the bathroom, glaring at her rosy cheeks in the mirror. She splashed her face with cold water.

"Jerk," she muttered to herself.

Who would've thought the usually stern and composed Mr. Quinn had such a teasing, carefree side? He could bring up something like that without batting an eye.

...

Outside, Ronald made a quick call to Finley, reminding him to pick up some ointment on his way.

Finley paused on the line before launching into a rant, "You know, you've treated her like a precious gem all her life, and now you're letting her get hurt repeatedly." Ronald cut him off, "Just get the stuff, will you?" then hung up without another word.

Idris stood behind him, pretending not to hear a thing. This was definitely not something he wanted to get involved in.

Meanwhile, in the car, Finley heard the dial tone and grumbled, "He's acting like I'm the one who hurt her."

Hull shot him a glance. "That mouth of yours will get you in trouble one day."

Finley scoffed. "So now I'm not supposed to speak the truth?"

Who did the hurting, anyway? The one who causes harm gets off scot-free, while the one who talks about it gets blamed?

"There's a pharmacy about two hundred meters ahead. Let's stop there."

Looks like they'd need to keep that kind of ointment on hand from now on.

He'd seen Ronald's... before when they showered together.

Anyway, most people wouldn't be able to handle it, especially someone as petite as Stella.

...

Stella emerged from the bathroom, ready to leave, when Susanna's call came through. She picked up, "Hey, Susie." "Star, I've got someone clinging to my leg."

"What?"

"Mrs. Larkin is looking for you. If you don't want to talk to her, just say the word, and I'll kick her out." Susanna was fuming. What kind of person does that? She was itching to give Cloudia a good push.

After all these years of parading around as the grand Mrs. Larkin, and this is what it's come to? "Just kick her out."

Stella sighed and ended the call.

Cloudia was probably looking for her because of Ursula- or maybe to blame her for the Larkin family's decline. She had no patience for that negativity, especially when she was constantly on the move.

Stella stepped out of the lounge,

face still flushed despite the cold water. Ronald was waiting at the dining table with a glass of wine and a simple steak dinner.

Stella had a more substantial

spread: steak, pasta, and a bowl of creamy corn chowder. She used to dislike these dishes, but now, she was so hungry she could eat anything.

Ronald was cutting the steak into bite-sized pieces for her.

"Start with the corn chowder," he suggested.

She'd been starving for so long and needed to ease into eating.

Before he even finished speaking, Stella was already sipping the chowder. She was truly famished.

Hull and Finley boarded the plane just in time to see Stella eating ravenously.

Finley quipped, "Xander's supposed to be your fiancé, and he can't even feed you?"noveldrama

The air went still with tension. Everyone turned their eyes to Finley.

Idris thought for sure that Finley's mouth was going to get him into trouble one day.

Hull instinctively shifted away from him, wary of getting caught in the crossfire.

Ronald's glare was enough to freeze anyone in their tracks.

Stella felt a mix of embarrassment and amusement. Finley really did have a knack for getting himself into trouble.