Stella looked like she was feeling a little off.

Seeing Ronald, she set her phone down. Susanna hadn't answered her call.

Ronald asked, "Feeling under the weather?"

Stella nodded. "Yeah, I guess I caught a chill. My stomach's a bit upset."

Ronald lifted her from the couch swiftly and settled her onto his lap. His warm hand brushed her forehead, "No fever."

"I'm craving some pudding right now."

She didn't know why, but suddenly, she had a strong urge to eat some.

Ronald said, "The kitchen's already on it."

Stella snuggled closer into his embrace.

Ronald pinched her cheek playfully. "Want me to have Finley come take a look?"

"No need. Maybe some pudding will do the trick."

Just the mention of Finley gave Stella a headache. He was the last person she wanted to see right then.

His mouth was something she just couldn't handle.

As luck would have it, Finley walked in just in time to see Ronald holding Stella.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are we getting all lovey-dovey in here? Did you sort out everything with

Ferrowland?"

Stella's eyebrows twitched, and she instinctively tried to get up from Ronald's lap.

But Ronald pressed her head gently back into his chest, shooting Finley a cold look.

Finley shrugged. "Hey, I'm looking out for you two."

"Who needs your concern?" Ronald replied icily.

Finley threw up his hands. "Alright, I get it, not needed."

Clearly, they didn't need his help.

Watching Finley try to zip his lips, Stella couldn't help but smile a little.

At lunch, Stella wasn't eating much with enthusiasm. Even though they made her some bread pudding,

she barely touched it before losing her appetite.

Finley asked, "When did you start liking this stuff? You've always been a fan of hot wings, right?"

He gave Stella a peculiar look as he said that.

Stella retorted, "Can't a girl suddenly want some pudding?"

All this talk over a simple dessert?

Finley threw up his hands, "Huh!!?"

Ungrateful girl!

He had been about to say something, but Stella's reply knocked it right out of his head.

Meanwhile, on Cyris Isle, Xander was poring over the documents Kyle had dug up for him, a knowing smile on his lips. "Well, it is interesting."

Lounging on the bed nearby, Shawn asked, "What's interesting?"

The way Xander was smiling gave him the creeps; it was almost sinister.

Could all this be because Ronald had outmaneuvered him? Not only did he not get what he wanted, but

he also didn't win over the girl he was after.

Speaking of her, Shawn's biggest concern was Xander's interest in Stella.

Xander chuckled, "It turns out Thane Quarry has another son."

Shawn blinked. "What?"

Another son? That was news.

"Wasn't Yorick the only son of the Quarry family? How's there suddenly another one?"

What kind of twist was that?

Xander glanced at Shawn, amused. "Most likely, half-brother."

Shawn's eyes widened. That was juicy.

"Never heard of Thane fooling around like that."

In Portis City's circles, Thane's reputation was impeccable, with wealth, looks, and fidelity.

He was the dream guy for many young women back in the day. He appeared faithful and devoted, and his reputation was spotless.

Xander chuckled darkly and handed

the documents to Kyle. "Send these papers along with the person

Swn the

Quacy family, and while you're at it

He paused, a sly smile spreading across his face, "Tell Mr. Quarry he doesn't need to thank me."

Shawn was flabbergasted. 'Doesn't need to thank him? Is he serious?'

Sending the person to the Quarry family was like dropping a bomb-a full-on explosion.

And yet, here he was, saying they didn't need to thank him.

If it went through, the Quarry family would probably want to kill him out of sheer spite.

Xander chuckled. "It's not a bomb. I'm helping Mr. Quarry find his child. He should be grateful."

Shawn rolled his eyes. "Grateful, my foot!"

"I hear Mr. Quarry and Mrs. Quarry have always been quite close. So f the person got sent to the Quarry family, gratitude might not be the first reaction..."

Wait a minute. Something felt off about it.

Suddenly, Shawn realized, "You're trying to get Stella to be grateful to you, aren't you?"noveldrama

Never mind the Quarry family because they had no real connection.

But as for Stella, Xander's actions seemed like he was sticking it to Yorick, maybe even doing Stella a favor.

Xander's grin widened. "That girl should be grateful to me."

Shawn groaned internally! He suspected it was more than just gratitude Xander was after.

"Does she need to be grateful? Have you seen how Ronald has squeezed the Quarry and the Larkin families lately?"

He was stating the facts. The Larkin

family was pretty much doomed. As for the Quarry family, Thane had hoped to enjoy a peaceful

retirement. Then Ronald came net

along, and now he was forced back

into the fray, running around trying to fix things.

Speaking of Ronald, Xander shot Shawn a sidelong glance. "Once you're better, I'm tossing you into the

ocean to swim twenty kilometers."

Shawn's mouth twitched, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Xander blurted, "Clear your head and watch your mouth."

Shawn was at a loss for words.

What did he mean by that? Why did he need to clear his head and watch his mouth?

Well, his unrequited love thing was clearly not something to mess with. Xander was definitely not someone to cross.

The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!