Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella) novel Chapter 900

Although Susanna was really just a pawn in their fight against Black Gate, the way Derek and Caden saw it, finding her and turning her over at least gave them something to bargain with.

But now...

"Who the hell took her?" Derek snapped, his frustration boiling over.

Caden scowled, "That’s just it—we don’t even know who took her! That’s what’s driving me nuts!"

It was the kind of news that made your stomach twist with worry.

Adelle entered the study just in time to hear Caden’s “Miss!”—and was instantly put off. Miss? Since when did someone from Derek’s side refer to that girl as ‘Miss’? The nerve.

Adelle’s voice was icy. “Caden, maybe your memory isn’t as good as it used to be.”

Caden blinked, thrown off by the hard edge in Adelle’s tone. He honestly couldn’t remember what he’d said wrong.

Adelle scoffed, “She’s no ‘Miss’ of this family. After all the hell she’s brought down on the Murrays? She doesn’t belong here.”

Her face was stormy, and her anger seemed to pull the oxygen from the room. For a moment, both Derek and Caden were left speechless.

After all, Adelle had always been the picture of grace—gentle, polite, never raising her voice, even to the house staff. When had she ever talked like this?

Derek looked at her, almost as if seeing her for the first time.

But the truth was, Adelle was at her breaking point. In the past few days, the family’s businesses—hers, her son’s, her daughter’s—had been thrown into chaos, assets raided, rivals circling like sharks at a summer barbecue. Even if they hadn’t lost everything yet, the damage was already massive.

The anger she’d bottled up was about to burst—and Derek was an easy target.

“Adelle,” Derek tried, but she cut him off.

“I’m just being honest, Derek. All this Black Gate mess? It’s because of them. I’m never going to accept Susanna. Never.”

“Of course, we need to find her. Quickly,” she muttered, almost to herself.

The whole thing was a mess—something that had nothing to do with Black Gate was now their problem. If they couldn’t deliver Susanna, this would never end.

Derek waved his hand. “Go look.”

Caden nodded and hurried out.

That left just Derek and Adelle in the room. Adelle took a deep breath. “Derek, you don’t think I’m being heartless, do you?”

Derek hesitated, then shook his head. “Of course not.”

Adelle let out a sigh. “You know, I never cared about any of this. But seeing you—and the family—get hurt because of those two? I’m furious.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Derek said, but his mind was elsewhere—he was already thinking of where to start looking for Susanna. He didn't have the energy for anything else.