Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella) novel Chapter 964

That tone—why was he speaking to her like that? Was he mocking her?

“Dan Murray and Susanna don’t want to come back, and you’re saying it’s my fault?” Adelle shot back, her voice intent on cutting through his sarcasm. That unmistakable edge—it was clear he was blaming her. No way was she going to let that slide.

“Don’t push it, Derek! I never once said they couldn’t come home.” She spoke quickly, emotion carrying her words. “You know how I’ve treated Dan all these years! And Susanna? She isn’t even in Litamark. Would you rather I chased her all the way to Portis City just to prove something?”

Her voice was starting to shake now, anxiety seeping through her composure. “I’ve treated your children like my own, no matter whose they were. But what do I get for that? Nothing but cold shoulders, no matter how much I care. And now you’re telling me you think I’m the reason your kids are distant from you?”

Derek watched her, silent, those cold, predatory eyes fixed on her face. When a person’s life falls into chaos—when all the comforts and easy pleasures vanish—love, too, turns to ash. For years, Adelle had been the woman Derek yearned for, the woman he’d spent years putting on a pedestal. But now, beset by the turmoil within Black Gate and its pressing crises, Derek seemed to have lost any capacity for tenderness.

The last fragile peace between them collapsed under the weight of so much unrest.

Derek still didn’t answer. Adelle’s breathing quickened with impatience. “Everyone says being a stepmother is thankless. I didn't believe it before, but now—I really get it.”

“I want a paternity test for Leanne and Ivanna.” Derek’s words, when they finally came, fell like ice water. He didn’t respond to her complaints. He simply issued a verdict—cold, clinical.

The room fell utterly silent.

Adelle could only stare at him, stunned. “What did you just say?” She was certain she’d heard him wrong.

Derek met her gaze, his eyes devoid of any warmth. “I said, I want paternity tests for Leanne and Ivanna.”

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