Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath

Chapter 16

Early next morning, Tegan flew off for a medical conference abroad.

As Stella got a ring from Susanna, she said on the phone, "Looks like your cousin's gonna pack on pounds for a bit longer. Tegan's out of the country, mentioned something about being away for a month." "How'd you know? Tegan rang you up?"

Stella replied, "Yeah, got a call around one in the morning."

"One in the morning? To share travel plans? Has she lost her marbles?"

It wasn't like everyone could just flip their sleep schedules upside down because Tegan decided to.

Stella sighed, "It was about Ursula."

"Ursula? What about her?"

Stella said, "Ursula ended up in the hospital last night, hit with a bunch of illnesses."

"A bunch? How many? Like what?"

Susanna was shocked at the news.

Just yesterday, spotting Ursula with Yorick near the maternity ward had them betting on a baby bump, not a bout of illnesses.

Stella shared, "Uterine cancer, heart disease, and seemingly liver cancer too."

The news made Susanna gasp, "All, all that? And she has uterine cancer?"

clear neither of them was well-versed in medical knowledge, their reaction to the uterine cancer news

Stella, as Susanna heard the uterine cancer, her tone unwittingly

Tegan said she's not one to spread rumors. She

not gossiping. But, this puts Ursula and Yorick's future in a bind. Which family would accept

upon Ursula's background as a maid's daughter. Her illnesses only added fuel to the

Quarry elders will push for you and Yorick to tie the knot sooner

someone else, so they would hold onto Stella at all cost, especially given her Larkin family ties. This

Susanna's remind was right.

had already been noticed by them. Besides, they'd learned of Ursula's illnesses; among

...

breakfast, Stella, busy with work at her design studio, received a call from Yorick's mother, "Star, come to the manor this

Imogen, but I have some things to attend to this noon, I'll

up. The project StarRiver offered this time was grand; she determined to take

busy, Imogen signed, "You don't want to even see

Stella was speechless.

I go to

swing by

her, thinking it was better to clear things up in person. After all, people's attitude was

She picked up, "Hello."

"It's me."

voice came from the other

but in fact, Yorick was also irked by calling her, because

already been in the list. Right now this number was unknown, yet unexpectedly, she'd block-list the

you up.