She''d wanted him for a long time everyone could see it.


    When she finally mustered the courage to confess her feelings, she was blindsided. Ronald''s loyalty to Ste was absolute, fanatical even; he snuffed out the faintest sign of a rival before it could spark.


    Back in Ste''s sophomore year, Berry had suddenly vanished from campus. Rumor had it she''d gone home, but the truth was far simpler: Ronald had made sure Berry was nowhere near Ste, not if he could help it.


    But now...


    "What the hell is going on? How is she suddenly tangled up with that woman again?" Xander snapped, voice loaded with contempt.


    By ''that woman'', he meant his stepmother-the one person he despised above all else. As far as Xander knew, Berry and Mona had never even run into each other.


    Ronald brought Xander up to speed, recounting how Melissa hade to see Ste earlier. He exined Berry had spent the past two years at Novaderma, getting rounds of cosmetic surgery, each tweak trying to make herself look more and more like Ste. As if that weren''t enough, Mona-Xander''s stepmother had been making regr trips to Novaderma, and the two women stayed together whenever she visited.


    Xander was stunned silent, his mind grinding to a halt.


    Then, a sneer twisted his mouth. “She''s getting herself made over to look like Ste? Clearly, Berry still can''t let you go."


    Ronald''s reply was cold and direct: "Are you absolutely sure there''s nothing left in the Schultz family you want?"


    That drew Xander up short. "What?"


    "If there isn''t, I''ll tear the whole thing apart," Ronald said tly.


    "Wait aren''t we getting ahead of ourselves? Shouldn''t we at least figure out what''s actually happening-?"


    “Does it really matter whether we do or don''t?" Ronald''s chill cut Xander off.


    That single line left Xander speechless. He''d always known Ronald refused to be reasonable about anything when Ste was involved—nothing and no one could get through to him.


    He rubbed his temples, headache pounding.


    For Ronald, anything that touched Ste was an instant red line. No debate, no mercy.


    "Fine, you win," Xander muttered, surrendering. "But if I take Yvonne back now, who''s going to handle Hull?"


    “I''ve got it covered,” Ronald replied, all iron and ice.


    "You want me to go back and stir things up in the Schultz family, don''t you?" Xander said, exhaling sharply.


    He saw it now, clear as day-Ronald


    had never been the noble type anyway. After the stunt the Schultz family had just pulled, Ronald Was never going to let Mona get away untouched.


    And as if to confirm it, Ronald added, "That stepmother of yours, Mona, has had it far too easy for far too long."


    Just hearing Mona''s name, and thinking of howfortable she''d been all these years, made Xander''s face cloud over. She was the thorn he''d never been able to pull from his sides especially in the spot she upied in the family. He''d fantasized about tearing her out more times than he could count.


    "Yeah. Understood," he said curtly.


    Toofortable, that was her real crime. So at ease, she thought she could run an borate scheme against Ronald, right under his nose. And now, before her n had even gotten off the


    the ground, Ronald had


    caught wind of it. Good. Served her right.


    Xander ended the call and headed back to Yvonne''s hospital room. As he reached


    the door, he overheard her on the phone, her voice shaking with fury.


    “I''m terminating this pregnancy! I don''t care what anyone says!”


    Dan was at the same hospital right now, still raging from the beating he''d taken that morning. Yvonne''s words lit a fresh fuse under him.


    "Do it! If you don''t, you''re nothing but a coward!" he spat through the phone.


    Hearing that, Xander wanted to strangle the idiot right then and there.


    “You bastard!” Yvonne roared, tossing the covers aside and making to get out of bed, no doubt to hunt Dan down for round two.


    rmed, Xander rushed over. "Don''t move-stay where you are!” he urged, quickly snatching the phone from her.


    Finding out she was pregnant-especially by Dan-had pushed Yvonne to the edge. She was a tempest, hurling curses at Dan whenever she could, sometimes half the night long.


    He tried to soothe her as best he could: "Come on, love, for my sake-please, you need to calm down. I''m begging you."