Left Them Loved Myself (Stella Spencer) novel Chapter 187

Chapter 187

Erica could put up with people ignoring her, but she absolutely refused to let anyone throw shade at Stella.

Noreen’s expression instantly turned stormy.

“Noreen, if you don’t get your ass out of here right now, I’m going to tear your whole place down,” Erica yelled at the top of her lungs.

In less than two minutes, Erica had the entire Lloyd family pouring out in alarm.

Sebastian, at the front of the crowd, didn’t seem bothered by Erica’s loud, unruly behavior. Instead, he felt at long–lost sense of liveliness in his home. A gentle smile spread across his wrinkled face. “Erica, you-”

“You’re out of line,” Noreen snapped, cutting Sebastian off mid–sentence.

“Erica, this is Lloyd Manor, not your own. Do you think you can just come in here and shout like you own the place?” Noreen’s voice was cold and commanding.

Erica snickered, her tone dripping with mockery, “Oh, it’s not the Lloyd family that doesn’t matter to me. It’s you–you’re nothing but a small fry.”

That jab instantly had Noreen seeing red.

But just thinking about that slap she’d gotten the other day made her cheek throb all over again. She didn’t dare go head–to–head with Erica, so she shot Kourtney a pleading look for help.

Kourtney, who knew exactly what Noreen had done, shot her a disapproving glance before stepping in to smooth things over. “Ms. Russell, whatever it is, you can talk to her about it in private after today.

“This is a family gathering for Sebastian’s sake, so please don’t stir up any trouble.”

It sounded fair, but Kourtney was just sweeping Noreen’s mess under the rug.

Erica might not be a genius, but she sure wasn’t gullible enough to fall for that. She shot back at Kourtney, “Kourtney, are you sure I’m the one causing trouble here? Maybe you should think twice about that.”

Kourtney’s face flamed as a junior talked back.

She opened her mouth to retort when Sebastian’s deep voice cut in. “I’m old, not dead. You dare to fob me off right in front of me. Do you plan to wait until I’m in the grave-”

Just then, Sebastian’s eyes, usually a bit muddled with age, flashed sharp. He looked from Noreen to Kourtney, his stare heavy enough to make her heart drop. “So you dare to bully Stella openly now?”

“Sebastian,” Kourtney blurted out, trying frantically to defend herself. “I’m her elder. Why would I ever-”

“Oh, I wouldn’t bet on that,” Erica replied lazily, stirring up trouble with Sebastian right there.

“We just stepped in, and your staff was already giving us attitude. Next time, are they going to just kick us out

on the spot?” Erica shot back, full of sarcasm.

“Oh, zip it,” Noreen barked.

Noreen was so freaked out that she nearly dove at Erica to shut her up.

“Make me,” Erica sneered, putting on a mocking drawl that nearly made Noreen lose it. “Seriously, what are you going to do?”

Noreen’s anger flared again, her pride wounded by Erica’s taunt.

Erica gave a dismissive tsk. “What a small fry.”

Sebastian might not have known all the details, but even listening in, he could more or less figure out what was going on. His steely, commanding gaze landed squarely on Noreen. “Did you do it?”

He might’ve phrased it like a question, but his voice made it crystal clear.

With Sebastian’s eyes boring into her, Noreen started to shake, her voice trembling and almost breaking into a sob as she stammered, “G–Grandpa, I just wanted to make things a little difficult for them, and that’s all.”

“Just making things a little difficult, huh?” Sebastian shot back, tone full of sarcasm.

He let out a laugh; no one could tell if it was bitter regret or pure embarrassment, but it was definitely a tangled mix of emotions.

He said, “After cheating death, I thought I’d finally get what Stella’s gone through. But clearly, I was way too naive. The two of you?”

And then in a flash, that smile vanished. Sebastian’s voice erupted, booming like an old tiger’s roar. “You never get tired of playing these little dramas in front of me, do you?”

He yelled so fiercely that Noreen and Kourtney just about bowed then and there.

Just as things were about to spiral out of control, Stella stepped up, her tone gentle. “Sebastian, take it easy, okay?”

“Huh?” Erica’s eyes went wide as she grabbed Stella’s arm, nearly dragging her back. “Stella, have you lost your mind? Why are you defending them? Just let Sebastian teach them a lesson already.”

Everyone else shot Stella confused looks, clearly stunned that the victim was actually defending the ones who’d wronged her.

Normally, Stella wouldn’t even give them the time of day. But right now, seeing Sebastian’s face red with anger, struggling to catch his breath while everyone just looked on, she couldn’t just stand by and watch everything blow up.

If something bad really happened to Sebastian because he got too worked up, Stella knew she’d never forgive herself.

With that thought, Stella shook her head at Erica and softly explained, “I’m not doing this for them, and I

honestly couldn’t care less what happens to them. Sebastian’s really not up for this kind of drama anymore.”

As soon as Stella said that, everyone went quiet. Then, when they really looked, sure enough–Sebastian’s hands were shaking like leaves in the wind, and he looked on the verge of passing out any second.

The butler’s eyes widened in shock, and he rushed to steady Sebastian. “Mr. Lloyd, please, catch your breath. Don’t scare us like this.”

Sebastian had only just woken up today, and the doctor had warned them–his health was shot and he’d never really bounce back. If he got upset again, he might just slip away for good.

“Just help me over to sit down,” Sebastian said, letting the butler support him as they headed toward the living

room.

He turned back and called out to Stella, “Stella, come keep me company for a bit, will you?”

“Alright.” Stella nodded and tugged Erica, who was still looking kind of awkward, closer.

Her voice was a little apologetic as she said, “Erica, Sebastian’s like one of the only two people who’ve ever actually been good to me in the Lloyd family. If something happened to him, I just—”

“Hey, it’s fine,” Erica said, giving her a pat on the head. “There’ll be plenty of chances to put those two old hags in their place. Don’t lose sleep over it now.”

Erica had only stepped forward because she’d never let anyone bully her precious Stella. As long as Stella was happy and doing her thing, Erica was all in–no questions asked.

“I knew you were the best, Erica,” Stella said, totally moved, throwing her arms around her.

While the two besties were all lovey–dovey over here, Noreen and Kourtney, trailing behind, looked like they were about to pop their eyes out of their heads.

“That stubborn old bastard, why is he still kicking?” Noreen grumbled through clenched teeth, her hatred nearly boiling over in her eyes.

Kourtney shot her a glare and whispered, making sure only Noreen could hear, “Keep your nasty thoughts in your head. If anyone overhears you, you’re on your own.”

Noreen curled her lip. “Mom, what are you so worried about? The old butler’s already working for us. If it weren’t for those shares he’s got, I’d show him who’s boss-”

“Keep your mouth shut,” Kourtney hissed, her voice a bit sharper than intended.

Her tone caught the attention of those up ahead. She flashed a quick smile and chirped, “Just giving her a talking to about earlier.”

Some of the tension in Sebastian’s face finally eased, but he didn’t say anything else.

He’d seen so much of this kind of family drama that none of it felt real anymore. Most of the time, just keeping up appearances and pretending everything was peaceful was the best they could hope for.

She zoomed right over to Kourtney and Noreen, planting herself next to them and glaring at each in turn–totally making a spectacle of herself and just soaking up the drama.

Erica’s eyes

lit up.

“Don’t stop now. Weren’t you just about to give her a lecture? Come on, let me see how you handle this,” Erica prodded, all cager and mischievous.