Left Them Loved Myself (Stella Spencer) novel Chapter 169

Chapter 169

rica Russell!”

Kourtney’s fake smile shattered completely. She frantically wiped at her cheek, her voice turning shrill with rage.

Is this how the Russells raise their children? You’re going to answer for this, or else.”

“Funny you should mention that!” Erica interrupted, a wide, wicked grin spreading across her face.

From her seemingly small purse, she miraculously produced a huge roll of silver duct tape.

Rip!

The loud, tearing sound of the adhesive echoed in the hallway as Erica pulled off a long strip, her eyes glinting with mischievous delight.

The next two minutes descended into utter chaos.

With lightning speed, Erica began her “art project” on Kourtney’s head and face.

When Erica finally stopped, the once elegant and noble Mrs. Lloyd was a walking, low–budget mummy. Her entire head was wrapped in duct tape, with only small openings left for her eyes, nostrils, and mouth. She looked both pathetic and terrifying.

“Is that enough tape for you, old witch? If not… I can call for a truckload. I’ll make sure you’re wrapped up so tight you can’t breathe!”

Kourtney was practically vibrating with fury. Through the slits in the tape, she shot a venomous glare at Erica and Stella.

“You’ll… mmmph… pay for this, I’ll…”

“What kind of gibberish is that? Can’t understand you! Shoo!” Erica had no interest in playing charades.

Seeing Erica advance on her again, Kourtney didn’t even bother with the tape on her head. She turned and fled.

Back in the room, Jeremy, who had been watching in stunned silence, finally broke, bursting into a fit of suppressed laughter.

Stella was both shocked and amused, but laughing pulled at her injuries, making her wince. Still, a weight had lifted from her chest.

“Is this… going to be a problem?” When her laughter subsided, Stella looked toward the door, a little worried.

She didn’t feel bad for Kourtney, but she worried that if the old witch actually hurt herself, it would bring trouble for the Russell family.

Relax! What’s to be afraid of?”

Erica clapped her hands together, looking completely unbothered. “This is a hospital hallway. The nurse’s station is right around the corner. They’re super helpful, I’m sure they’ll take good care of her!”

It turned out Erica was right.

A moment later, they heard a few gasps from the hallway, followed by the sound of nurses trying to stifle their laughter.

1/3

Juside the room, the debate over whether Stella should attend the “Thorn Collection” celebration was finally settled by Erica’s iron–fisted intervention.

Taica made the final call. “Video call. Show your face, say a few encouraging words, and you’re done. It’s like Boss Spencer is there in spirit! Perfect!”

Jeremy threw up his hands in surrender. “At this point, it’s the only way. You’ll just have to supervise remotely, Boss?

Stella was speechless.

She just looked at the two of them, who had decided everything without her.

Hello? I’m the patient here. Does my opinion not count?‘

With that settled, Jeremy left to make the arrangements, leaving just Erica and Stella in the room.

With her boot camp starting soon, Erica’s schedule was packed even tighter than when she was in school. Squeezing in this visit hadn’t been easy, and she was getting ready to leave.

“Good luck, Erica! I know you’ll kill it!” Stella cheered her on sincerely.

Erica stood up, looking completely drained. “Don’t say good luck. The person in question is full of regret. If I knew it was this exhausting, I would’ve just stayed home and been a couch potato…”

“Enough with the ‘if I knew.”

A large hand suddenly landed on Erica’s head and, with unyielding force, gave it a light twist. The casual–looking motion nearly snapped her neck.

“Ouch! Harvey?” Erica yelped, rubbing her neck and glaring at Harvey Spencer, who had appeared beside her out of nowhere. “Are you trying to murder me for the five bucks in my wallet?”

Kenneth Harris, who was trailing behind Harvey, let out a snort of laughter.

Erica’s radar–like gaze instantly locked onto him. “What are you laughing at? Wipe that grin off your face. You could’ve at least given me a heads–up!”

Kenneth was quick–witted himself. He immediately straightened his face and deadpanned, “Harvey moves like a ghost. I wouldn’t dare tip you off. Besides, my teeth were feeling a little stuffy.”

Erica’s eyes narrowed dangerously. ‘Oh, a worthy opponent, are we?‘

The two locked eyes, and sparks seemed to fly between them as an invisible battle began.

Just as the trash–talk war was about to erupt, Harvey put a stop to it.

Thump! Thump!

He unceremoniously rapped them both sharply on the forehead. “What is this, a staring contest? Are you coming in or going out? Stop blocking the door!”

“Out! I’m going out!” Erica cried, clutching her forehead.

“In! Just coming in!” Kenneth grumbled, rubbing his head.

They spoke in unison, a strange synchronicity that made even Harvey raise an eyebrow.

2/3

Deciding to ignore the two clowns, he walked straight into the room.

they passed each other in the doorway, they couldn’t resist throwing out some pre–game taunts.

Kenneth lowered his voice. “Don’t poke the bear. I’ve got a short fuse.”

Erica shot back without missing a beat, “Looks like somebody’s cruising for a bruising”

Inside the room, Stella was trying so hard not to laugh that her wound started to hurt. Those two were a walking comedy

show.

Harvey sat down in the chair by Stella’s bed, his expression darkening as a storm brewed in his eyes. “I heard that old wireh from the Lloyd family came by?”

“Don’t worry, Harvey, Stella said quickly, trying to soothe him. “Erica already… ‘artistically‘ escorted her out. It was quite a ‘spectacle

Fearing he would dwell on it, Stella immediately changed the subject. “So, you didn’t bring Kenneth here just to visit a wounded soldier, did you?”

He had just been there two days ago, and she wasn’t that close with Kenneth.

Harvey closed his eyes, suppressing his anger. When he opened them again, he was calm. “No, I brought him for business.”

He looked over at Kenneth, who had come in and taken a seat. “I mentioned this before, but we need to get serious about you designing a signature collection for Eimdale Company. We can do a joint promotion with Lumière. With all the hype from the Thorn Collection, we can launch Eimdale Company’s brand in Seabrook and make a real splash.”

Of course, Stella wanted to, but she glanced down at her bandaged body with a sense of helplessness.

“Harvey, my hands are shaking so bad right now I can’t do any fine detail work. Can you give me a few more days? I’ll try my best to recover quickly.”