Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella) novel Chapter 817

Dan took a deep breath, his eyes still sharp and dangerous, his tone even more threatening than before.

“No need for you to leave,” he said coldly. “I've got some questions for you myself.”

There was no mistaking the hostility in his voice, mixed with a heavy dose of disgust.

Derek’s temper flared, but before he could explode, Adelle caught his eye and gave him a calming look.

In an instant, the raging lion inside Derek was forced back into his cage.

Adelle spoke first, her voice gentle. “Go ahead, ask.”

Even in the face of Dan’s icy demeanor, she kept her composure, her expression warm and patient.

Dan shot her a frosty glare—a look sharp enough to cut glass—but Adelle just met it with the same gentle patience, as if she could melt his anger with nothing but kindness.

But Dan knew better. He’d seen the real Adelle, the one who could be truly vicious when she wanted to be. There was no way the woman who’d had a hand in his mother’s death could win him over with a few soft looks.

“So, which one of you took Susanna?”

The question was aimed at both Derek and Adelle, but Dan’s cold gaze never left Adelle’s face.

His accusation was like a knife, and Derek all but exploded. “Dan, that’s enough! None of us took Susanna.”

“How convenient,” Dan sneered. “Last I checked, Susanna’s at Black Gate. Don’t tell me it was Finch who took her.”

Dan’s voice was colder than ever.

Derek’s fists clenched. “You’re unbelievable.”

This was ridiculous. Was there no justice left in the world?

With that, Dan turned and walked out, leaving Derek and Adelle alone.

Derek, shaking with anger, slammed his fist onto the table. “That ungrateful brat! He’s the one who took Susanna, I know it,” he growled.

Derek was convinced that Dan knew all about Susanna’s complicated ties—he’d taken her on purpose, dragging in Mr. Quinn and Mr. Schultz to stir up trouble and go head-to-head with Derek.

Adelle let the chill slip from her eyes as she turned to him. “Derek, you really need to stop always assuming the worst about him. Maybe it wasn’t Dan.”

“Who else could it be? He hates me, he hates Finch, and… he hates you too!”

Adelle fell quiet. Who else, indeed? Dan’s heart was full of old grudges—against Derek, against her, against her precious Finch.

“After all those years you raised him, he doesn’t seem to care one bit,” Derek muttered bitterly.