Left Them Loved Myself (Stella Spencer) novel Chapter 129

Chapter 129

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As darkness crept in, the dying glow of the amber sunset tangled with deepening shadows, wrapping Lloyd Manor in a tense hush. It felt like trouble was hanging in the air.

Right before they walked in, Erica turned and whispered to Stella, “If things get awkward, just stick close behind me. Anything you don’t want to say, I’ll speak up for you.”

“Alright.” Stella smiled, giving a quick nod.

Stella had guessed the Lloyd family would start picking on her eventually, but she honestly hadn’t expected it to come at her this fast.

She and Erica hadn’t even stepped inside yet, and the drama was already starting.

“Well, well, look who decided to show up–Princess Spencer,” Noreen sneered, the sarcasm thick in her voice.

She lounged against the doorway pillar, arms smugly folded, giving Stella that signature snarky glare. “So, still living off the Lloyds, are we?”

“That’s enough!” Erica shot back, exasperated. “Can’t you invent a better line? If not, go find some online to copy. Even Stella’s sick of it, and I’m about to lose my mind hearing you say the same thing over and over.”

Noreen acted as if she’d only just spotted Erica, lifting her brows in mock surprise. “Well, well, isn’t this Stella’s loyal flunky? What brings you to our place?”

“Flunky?” Erica blinked, a bit tickled by the insult. She didn’t get mad, just grinned right back. “Since you say I’m Stella’s flunky, how could I let her come to the Lloyd snake pit without tagging along?”

“Erica!” Noreen finally lost it and yelled, “Who gave you the guts to insult my family like that?”

Then she turned on Stella, her tone sharp with accusation. “And you! Did you bring her here just to annoy Grandpa? After everything he’s done for you all these years, you betray him and side with outsiders. Seriously, Stella, what happened to your conscience?”

Stella hadn’t even replied yet when Erica jumped in, her sarcasm in full swing. “Wow, that’s intense. Keep going, and you’re gonna have us hauled off for execution or something, right?

“Even calling you a snake is giving you way too much credit.

“Let’s not even get into all the designs Stella’s done for you, the awards she’s racked up, and the fame she’s brought to the Lloyds. Just taking care of your whole clan, and you act like she’s in your debt? Please, she doesn’t owe you anything!

“And seriously, drop the whole ‘living off the Lloyds‘ bit. A man feeding his wife is standard everywhere else— so why does it turn into some huge drama with your family?”

The more Erica spoke, the less she could keep her emotions in check. After all these years, she knew exactly how Stella’s life with the Lloyds had been pure misery–she’d seen every bit of it.

Standing at the main doors of Lloyd Manor, right in front of Noreen and a whole crowd of Lloyds who’d

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Chapter 129

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come out just to watch the commotion, Erica couldn’t care less about the consequences. She was set on letting everything Stella had endured finally be said out loud–right in their faces.

“As for Sebastian, I’ll let it slide out of respect for how he’s looked after Stella all this time. But your brother? Please–if he could call himself anything close to a decent human being, I might actually bother to respect him. But as it stands…” Erica threw the words out, her voice full of biting sarcasm.

She was on full blast now–she wasn’t holding anything back.

Noreen was so furious her face was crimson and she was shaking all over, looking like she could explode or keel over any second.

It took a while for Erica to get everything off her chest, and just as Noreen was about to clap back, she realized that suddenly, the front steps were packed with other faces.

Leading the group was Sebastian, gripping his cane, his expression gloomy and unreadable, like the calm before a storm. The look he gave Noreen was complicated, but more than anything else, it was pure disappointment.

If Erica hadn’t spilled the truth, he never would’ve known Stella had endured all that, giving so much to those heartless people.

“Sebastian,” Stella called out softly as soon as she spotted him.

But this time, she didn’t rush over to help like she always did. Instead, she stood her ground right next to Erica, determined to face whatever came their way together.

Stella told herself, ‘Even if Sebastian ends up hating me because of this, I’m not backing down.‘

“It’s always nice to see you, Stella,” Sebastian said, with a strained smile. “Go ahead and take Erica inside–I’ve asked the chef to make some nourishing soup and herbal dishes especially for you. Try them and see how they taste.”

Erica was genuinely surprised by his warm attitude. She’d honestly been bracing herself for a chilly reception, maybe even getting kicked out, but this was the last thing she expected.

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Noreen visibly trembled, obvious fear shown on her face–terrified that Sebastian might lay down the family law and punish her Lloyd style.

But Sebastian blasted her with a furious shout before she could finish. “Their dad died too young, and I know it hasn’t been easy for you raising the kids by yourself. That’s why I put you in charge and let you run things however you liked.”

Sebastian was so furious that he didn’t hold back–he tore into every last one of them, not sparing a soul.

Still not satisfied, he hauled Noreen over to Stella. “Apologize to your sister–in–law!”

“What?” Noreen’s eyes widened, practically bugging out of her head. “Grandpa, you seriously want me to apologize to her?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing–was he for real?

“You need me to spell it out for you?” Sebastian shot her a furious glare, his cane banging against the floor so loudly it sounded like he was about to lose it any second.

Lucky for Noreen, Sebastian still had no idea about her sabotage at Stella’s place–if he ever found out, a simple apology wouldn’t cut it. She’d be looking at way worse than just getting chewed out.

Noreen shrank back, too scared to mouth off at Sebastian, so she could only glare at Stella with pure resentment in her eyes.

She didn’t even bother blaming Erica–every bit of her anger landed squarely on Stella’s shoulders, as if Stella was the root of all her problems.

If Stella hadn’t brought Erica into this mess, there’s no way all my skeletons would be getting dragged out into the open, Noreen seethed, blaming it all on Stella.

Erica caught the nasty glare instantly, and–never one to let it slide–she piped up to Sebastian with a smirk. “Sebastian, look at her, she’s shooting daggers at Stella! Total rebellion right in front of you!”

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Chapter 129

I’m not–Noreen tried to protest.

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The hint of defiance in her expression disappeared so fast, all that was left was her best innocent look, trying desperately not to get in more trouble.

Before Noreen could even finish talking back, Sebastian’s cane swung down and landed right on her backside with a smack. The sound echoed so loud it made everyone flinch–just hearing it was bad, but one could tell it really hurt.

Noreen yelped, her face turning pale in an instant.

She nearly dropped to her knees from the pain, legs wobbling like jelly.