Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella)

It was high time, after all. She had put up with the Horner family for years for the sake of Uriah, and it was the perfect opportunity to make them pay.

...

Ronald escorted Stella directly to the airport. As they lounged in the VIP waiting room, Ronald asked if she wanted anything to eat. Stella shook her head, her appetite seemed to be dwindling for reasons unknown, and nothing seemed to appeal to her.

"Idris prepared some chicken soup for you. You want a bit?" Ronald suggested gently.

Stella shook her head again, snuggling closer to Ronald. "I just don't feel like eating," she mumbled.

Ronald stroked the top of her head softly. "Fine, maybe later," he said. He used to worry about her overeating and upsetting her stomach, but now it was the opposite-concerned that she'd eat too little.

When Finley rushed into the airport, looking a bit disheveled, he spotted Ronald holding Stella close.

"I got the meds! Finally!" he exclaimed, breathless. The traffic was so horrendous that he almost got stuck in Portis City getting those meds.

Handing the medicine to an attendant, Finley instructed, "One of this, and another of that. Thank you."

The attendant nodded politely. "Of course, sir."

Finley plopped down on a sofa opposite Ronald, unscrewed a bottle of water, and took a long drink. The day had been a whirlwind, and he was exhausted from the mad dash to the airport.

After a moment, he noticed Ronald staring at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Finley asked, feeling a bit uneasy under the intense gaze.

Ronald smirked. "You know that project at the Muliba Desert? You're going to oversee it. I don't trust anyone else with it."

Finley was stunned, his expression frozen before twisting into disbelief.

"Are you serious?" he exclaimed.

The Muliba Desert was the kind of place where even the toughest guys would break a sweat. Was he serious?

Ronald gently set Stella aside and handed her a piece of fruit from the table. His action was tender, but his words were anything but soft for Finley. "When have you ever known me to joke around?"

Finley's voice rose a pitch in shock. "But you have a team of the best of the best. Why can't they handle it?"

Ronald fell silent.

Finley shouted, "Look, I'm not going, okay? There's no way I'm going there. Are you kidding me? The Muliba Desert?"

Ronald just gave him that look, not saying a word.

Finley felt a chill. "You're not joking, huh?"

Ronald nodded once, confirming it.

Finley's face fell again. He had thought Ronald was kidding about the Mojave Desert gig. Apparently not.

"Come on, buddy! I just went through hell and high water to fetch meds for your girl. You can't do me like this!" Finley protested.

Stella, who had been holding the fruit indecisively, looked over at

Finley, Confused. "Do you needdo go

through all that just to get some medicine?" noveldrama

Finley paused, unsure how to respond. Well, not exactly," he admitted. He was just trying to milk a bit of sympathy from Ronald, but clearly, Stella wasn't clued in on his tactic.

The attendant returned with the medicine.

Finley glanced at Stella and told the attendant, "She's sick. Give it to her."

The attendant nodded respectfully and brought the medicine and water to Stella. "Miss, here's your medicine. Please take it."

Stella nodded and thanked the

attendant politely before lifting the glass. As she was about to drink, Ronald suddenly caught her wrist.

"Hold on," he said.

Stella looked puzzled. "What's wrong?"

Finley was equally confused. "Yeah, what's up? Isn't she supposed to take her meds?"

Ronald looked at Finley sharply. "Are you sure she needs to take this medicine?"