"Avery and Cable... was that your doing?" Xander''s voice dripped with fury.


    He hadn''t expected Ronald to go this far, though Ronald had made a habit of ying rough over the past couple of years. But Avery and Cable? That was a heavy blow for Xander. Ronald nced at the little one beside him, munching on snacks. "I told you to forget about the engagement with her," he said.


    Xander fell silent, his eyes narrowing.


    Finley and Ste exchanged nces, both caught in the growing tension.


    Ste paused mid-bite of her chocte chip cookie, her attention now fully on Ronald''s words.


    The line went silent for a moment. Then Xander chuckled coldly. "I might be able to forget, but you, Ronald... do you really think you can be with her?"


    "Have you forgotten what happened with Berry..." Xander started, but Ronald cut him off, ending the call abruptly. His eyes deepened with an unspoken storm.


    Ste, still nibbling on her cookie, looked at Ronald in confusion. "What about Berry?"


    Berry had been Ste''s close friend back in high school. The two were inseparable. But in their sophomore year, Berry suddenly left school, and Ste never heard from Berry again. It seemed like Xander was implying that Berry''s departure had something to do with Ronald?


    Ronald tousled her hair gently. "Focus on your cookie."


    Ste blinked, sensing something was off.


    Xander''s words had struck a chord, but she couldn''t quite piece it together.


    Ronald, seeing her curiosity, pulled her into his arms. "Always nosy about other people''s business?"


    "No, it''s just that... Xander..."


    "Is his words really worth your concern?"


    "Okay, okay, I won''t ask anymore."


    If he wasn''t going to tell her, she''d figure it out on her own.


    Ste continued nibbling on her cookie, pretending to be disinterested, but her mind was racing.


    Ronald''s gaze softened slightly. He kissed her forehead. "Good girl."


    "Where are we heading now?" she asked.


    "Portis City," Ronald replied.


    "Again?" Ste groaned.


    She really didn''t want to go to Portis City. There was something about that ce that didn''t sit right with her.


    Ronald affectionately pinched her nose. "We''ll only be there for two or three days, then back to Ferrond."


    "Really?"


    "Of course."


    "Alright then."


    Hearing it was just for a short while, Ste rxed a bit. Honestly, she just wanted to go back home, to the ce where she grew up.


    "Is Yvonne around here?" Ste inquired.


    Ronald nodded. "But it''s probably not a good time for you to meet her."


    Knowing she missed Yvonne, Ronald quickly dismissed the idea Yvonne hade with Dan, and


    from Yvonne''s tone earlier, things


    didn''t seem right.


    "Idris."


    "Yes, sir."


    "Send someone to check on the situation with Yvonne."


    The girl was usually carefree, but who would have thought she could fall so head-over-heels in love? From the intel Ronald had, Dan wasn''t the same person Yvonne had known back then.


    Idris nodded. "Understood."


    Meanwhile, Xander''s grip on the phone tightened so much that his knuckles turned white. In a fit of rage, he hurled it across the room. Shawny on the operating table, groaning in pain, sweat beading on his forehead. "Ugh, if I''d known, I wouldn''t havee with you." Xander shot him a cold re.


    Shawn immediately shrank back. "I told you, if you want something, take it. Steal it, grab it, whatever. But don''t mess with the princess."


    Messing with the princess of the


    Quinn family was like poking a sleeping bear-Ronald''s bear, to be exact. And for the past two years, they''d been chased relentlessly for it.