Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella)

No. That can't be right.

Something was seriously off. Especially when Yvonne realized she was completely naked under the covers, her breath caught in her throat.

Her eyes snapped open and she shot straight up in bed.

She flung the comforter aside for a look.

"Shit..." Oh God, what the hell happened to her? Why was she stark naked?

She felt sticky, uncomfortable. She parted her legs to check.

One glance was enough.

Oh my God—what the hell? Why was there so much blood?

Yvonne: "!!!"

No, this this can't be

What the hell was going on? Why was there blood on the sheets? And her body felt all wrong.

She stared at the messy bed, then looked down at herself, noticing bruises-blue and purple marks scattered across her skin.

She froze.

What the hell? How did she get so battered?

Oh God, did someone drag her off last night and...?

Fuck!!!

This was Ferrowland, for Christ's sake. Who the hell would be insane enough to do this here?

Ronald coaxed Stella through breakfast before stepping out of the room. She wanted to grab a little more sleep, but her phone started buzzing insistently. She fumbled for it. "Hello?"

"Star, it's me."

A voice on the other end-Yvonne's-sounded angrier and more panicked than Stella had ever heard before.

Right now, Yvonne's voice was full of rage and fear, all tangled together.

Stella's eyes flew open, sleep forgotten. "What's wrong?"

"I-ugh, I can't even explain. I'm going to kill that bastard."

Yvonne sounded absolutely murderous.

Stella: "Who?"

"I don't even know who it was."

Stella: "What?"

What the hell did that mean?

Yvonne's mind was a mess, her chest tight with fury and confusion.

She was babbling, barely making sense, and Stella struggled to catch her meaning.

Yvonne finally spat out, "I think I was raped."

Stella: "!!!"noveldrama

Her breath stopped cold.

No. No, no, no...

Half an hour later.

Stella told her driver to take her straight to the Night Owl Hotel.

Yvonne was in the surveillance office when Stella arrived, and the sound of a heated argument reached her before she even walked in.

"What do you mean the cameras are down? Now, of all times? Are you kidding me?"

The hotel manager tried to keep calm. "I'm sorry, Ms. Quinn, the

securit

system has been downl

three days. Maintenance hasn't fixed it yet."

"Then who was the man in my room last night?"

The manager: "There was only you in that room last night, ma'am. Housekeeping

and your friend helped you in, and that's it."

"There was a man, I know there was! Are you people trying to cover this up or something?"

"I swear to God, I'll torch this dump if you don't start taking this seriously."

Yvonne was shaking with rage.

The manager stammered, "Ma'am, please—”

"I was raped! Don't tell me I don't know what happened to my own body!"

They kept insisting no one else was in her room, and Yvonne just about lost it.

She knew what had happened. Her body proved it—a man did this.

What, did they think it was a ghost or something?

Yvonne was so mad she was ready to explode.

The manager: "..."

Stella: "!!!"

Stella was frozen, seeing the swelling on Yvonne's lips, the marks on her skin, the way she looked so lost and furious.

Yvonne spotted her and grabbed her arm. "What are you doing here?"

"You sounded so freaked out on the phone. I couldn't just sit around, so I tracked you down."

Yeah, Yvonne's call had been frantic, confusing-enough to terrify Stella.

"What happened?"

Stella asked gently.

Yvonne gritted her teeth. "What do you think happened? Some guy was in my room last night, did God knows what, and now the damn hotel's security cameras are all broken."

She was getting more agitated by the second.

"Come on, let's go back to my room. I can't deal with this anymore."

Her whole body hurt. She hadn't even had time for a shower-she'd come straight to the security office, desperate to find out who the hell had done this.

But with the cameras down, it felt like the universe was conspiring against her.