Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella)

Back then, when Dan passed away, Yvonne had completely lost it. She'd gone off the deep end-no doubt about it.

She switched therapists more times than most people switch their socks, and it was only with time that she finally started piecing herself back together.

So when she heard Dan was alive in Sands City, she dropped everything-her job, her friends, her whole life-just to find him.

But Dan? He had a fiancée now.

Aira. That woman from the Murray family, with all their tangled connections.

Ronald gave Xander a long, searching look. "What's got you asking about this all of a sudden?"

Xander shrugged, his expression cool. "Just curious."

The way he tossed those two words out-like the whole thing was barely worth his breath-was almost convincing. Almost. But who drives across town just to ask if Yvonne still has feelings for Dan, if they're just bored?

If Ronald was anything, it was sharp. He wasn't buying it for a second.

He chuckled, low and knowing. "You know, sometimes a man's gotta act like a man."

Xander's jaw clenched. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ronald's eyes were unreadable, dark as midnight. He didn't answer right away, just leaned in a little. "At the end of the day, you gotta keep things straight. Business is business."

That phrase-business is business—sent a jolt through Xander. It was like Ronald could see right through him, see every half-baked thought he'd tried to bury.

But Ronald didn't press. He just nodded to Idris to start the car, and left.

Xander stood there, scowling at nothing, the last inch of his cigarette burning down between his fingers.

“Business is business, huh?" Can it really be that simple?

What if Yvonne still wasn't over Dan? What if all this time, she'd been holding onto him?

He thought about how she'd never dated, never even looked at another man since Dan's "death." She'd built a wall around herself, and no one had ever gotten close. Everything pointed to one thing: Dan had always been her number one.

But today today she'd beaten Dan senseless.

How does someone go from loving someone that much, to... this? Did that kind of love just disappear overnight? Or was something else going on?

Xander closed his eyes, rubbing the headache that was threatening to split his skull.

His phone buzzed-Kyle.

"Talk."

Kyle paused, caught off guard by the coldness in Xander's voice. "Mr. Schultz, Ms. Quinn is at the Paddle Lux."

PaddleLux? The hotel?

No wonder her car wasn't at home when he got there. Made sense. After the chaos today-Dan and Aira both getting a beatdown-Yvonne wouldn't just go home and bake cookies. She needed to blow off steam.

Xander sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What's she doing there?"

"No clue, sir."

"She alone?" Xander asked, his voice tight.

"This time, yes. She went out with a full security detail earlier, but now... she's by herself."noveldrama

He didn't like that. Not one bit.

Xander jumped in his car, hung up on Kyle, and sped straight for the PaddleLux International.

He'd barely made it off the Quinn

estate's main drive when another et

call

Game in, this time from a

unknown number.

He answered. "Yeah?"

"It's me." Dan's voice, strained and furious, came through the line.

He sounded like he was ready to reach through the phone and throttle someone.

Xander couldn't help but laugh. "Guess she didn't hit you hard enough if you're already awake."

His guys said Dan had been out cold in the hospital. Apparently, he bounced back fast.

Dan all but exploded, "You son of a bitch, Xander! Tell me the truth-last night, was it you?"

"Was what me?"

"Don't play dumb! You and Yvonne-did you two get married at city hall yesterday? No wedding, no nothing, just signed the papers? And don't tell me you two didn't share a bed last night!"

Just bringing it up seemed to set Dan off all over again.