Left Them Loved Myself (Stella Spencer) novel Chapter 123

Chapter 123

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“I…” Erica, stung by Sylvia’s dismissal, rounded on her, but Stella grabbed Erica’s arm, quietly signaling her to

hold back.

They were there to look for evidence, not pick a fight. If they got kicked out now, sneaking back in wouldn’t be easy. There was no point in arguing right now.

Getting the message, Erica changed her tune. “We’re just guests, of course. Since you’re the host, shouldn’t you get up and give us a proper welcome?”

With Ernest right there, Sylvia couldn’t lose her cool. Her smile grew a little colder.

“Tea or coffee?” she asked, getting up.

Erica rolled her eyes. “Orange juice.”

Theodore jumped in, “I’ll have someone fetch some. How about staying for dinner, huh?”

He was clearly talking to Ernest.

Even though both Sylvia and Stella were close to Ernest, Theodore hardly ever got to see his son–in–law. Now that he finally had the chance, he wasn’t about to let it slip away.

If he could keep Ernest in a good mood, maybe the partnership with Ben could go to the Lloyd Group instead.

Ernest raised an eyebrow, glancing at the one standing nearby, and replied coolly, “Sure.”

“Great!” Theodore was practically bouncing with excitement. “I’ll get the housekeeper to start preparing right

away

Then he turned to Louisa and said, “You stay here and keep our son–in–law company. Don’t let him get

bored.”

“Don’t worry, honey,” Louisa said with a playful grin. “As his mother–in–law, I’ve got tons to chat about with my favorite son–in–law.”

“His mother–in–law?” A sudden laugh broke the easy mood in the room.

Erica widened her eyes at Sylvia, a look of pure curiosity on her face. “Seriously, when did you and Ernest tie the knot? Why didn’t you give us a heads–up?”

She teased, “Honestly, don’t be so secretive! If you’d told me, you know I’d have shown up with a big wedding present for you”

‘If they’re up to getting under Stella’s skin, oh, guess what, I’m even better at mind games than they are. Mother–in–law? To a stranger walking in, they’d think Louisa is Stella’s real mom, Erica thought, an eyebrow

raised in disbelief.

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Chapter 123

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Louisa’s expression froze for a moment, and Theodore’s gaze grew frosty. If Ernest wasn’t there, they’d have kicked Erica and Stella out on the spot.

But Sylvia stayed as calm as ever, barely flinching. She smiled and said lightly, “After all, my mom did care for Stella for a time. That earns her the title of stepmom, doesn’t it?”

“Cared for Stella?” Erica exaggerated, her eyes wide. “You mean you looked after her with money that was supposed to be Stella’s mom’s all along?”

That remark caught Sylvia off guard for a moment.

Theodore was a classic social climber who married into wealth–only made it that far thanks to Elaine’s help. By that logic, the entire Jansen family estate rightfully belonged to Stella.

Even when Louisa tried to play the caregiver, it was still Stella’s own money footing the bill.

Since the tension was about to explode, Louisa’s eyes reddened, clearly ready to put on her usual act to bail Sylvia out–but before she could even start, Ernest chimed in. “Weren’t we supposed to have dinner?”

He made it sound like nothing, but the air shifted. Erica felt the warning loud and clear and decided not to stir the pot any further.

‘I’ve already put the old man in his place enough for one night,’ Erica thought. ‘Any more and this could blow up fast.‘

Erica wrinkled her nose and huffed, then tugged Stella over to the couch and plopped down. She suddenly looked sweet and harmless–a far cry from the way she’d been snapping at everyone to defend Stella minutes

ago.

Theodore’s eye gave a twitch. He was already planning to boot this little troublemaker out once dinner was over, before she caused even more chaos.

Louisa wasn’t about to challenge Erica again, not with that sharp tongue of hers ready to put anyone in their place.

Honestly, Erica didn’t want that jerk anywhere near Stella, but there was no way she’d let those two old schemers win either. Watching Theodore and Louisa exchange secret glances and pull their little tricks just seriously ticked her off.

Louisa’s face froze. “R–Really, there’s no need to bother.”

“Exactly, Theodore jumped in. “There’s a spot open right there. Just sit, don’t make it more complicated than it is.”

“Complicated? Please” Erica waved it off with a flourish. “If there’s one thing I’m never scared of, it’s a bit of

hassle.

Not giving them a chance to argue, she grabbed Ernest and dropped him firmly into her chair, then strutted over to plant herself by Sylvia, shooting her a huge, mischievous grin.

Every Jansen looked like they were grinding their teeth down to the roots.

Ernest planted himself in the seat, clearly not planning to budge. He said blandly, “Let’s eat.”

“Yeah,” Theodore replied, just going with the flow.

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Chapter 123

Once he sat, he turned to Ernest. “Care for a drink?”

Most guys, after all, only ever got close over drinks and smoke.

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But really, the whole point was to get Ernest tipsy and create an opening for Sylvia to make her move.

Theodore was pulling out all the stops for Sylvia–so much so, he acted like Stella, his other daughter, didn’t

even exist.

Before Ernest could even get a word in, Irene scrunched her nose and shouted, “No! Ew, alcohol’s so stinky! I don’t like it, and Mom doesn’t either. Dad, you’d better not drink it!”

The second those words left her mouth, the whole table froze. The looks on the Jansens‘ faces were priceless; Erica was barely holding back her laughter.

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