Thinking about those two reminded Yvonne of the night Xander's crew had dragged him away to escape her wrath. She shot Xander a dark look.

"Let's go, let's go," Xander said, grabbing her hand and pulling her away.

Having his buddies call him every day crying about the situation wasn't sustainable; he had to fix this. If Dan Murray wanted to stay in Ferrowland, Xander had to find a way to extinguish Yvonne's fury. They couldn't have her beating Dan up every single time she saw him. Xander had spent the last few days assuring Ashley and the others that Yvonne wouldn't resort to violence again, but they simply didn't believe him. After witnessing the sheer brutality with which she had handled Dan, they were terrified.

As Xander led Yvonne away, Stella pouted. "Xander never struck me as a coward. Why did he chicken out so badly that night?"

"It was the people around him who chickened out," Ronald said, gently ruffling her hair.

Stella fell silent. *The people around him?*

"After that night, Dan and several of his guys ended up in the hospital," Ronald explained. "They were genuinely scared." And no wonder the way Yvonne had demolished Dan was genuinely terrifying.

But enough about them. Stella looked up at Ronald with wide, pleading eyes. "Can we have hot wings tonight? Please?"

It felt like forever since she had indulged in her favorite cravings. Ever since she got pregnant, Ronald had become incredibly strict about her diet. Everything was so bland that Stella felt like her taste buds were dying of boredom.

"Alright," Ronald finally relented.

"Really? You mean it?" Stella's eyes lit up with disbelief. She instantly sprang up and grabbed his hands, a massive smile blooming across her face. Every time she had asked before, he had shut her down completely.

"Occasionally is fine," Ronald said, his tone softening. Earlier in the pregnancy, he had to be cautious, but now, a small cheat meal wouldn't hurt.

Stella nodded vigorously. She had been quietly miserable for weeks over her restricted meals, and Ronald had obviously noticed.

"But we aren't eating out. I'll have the chef prepare it here," he added.

"That works for me!" As long as she got her hot wings, she didn't care where she ate them.

Seeing her so happily compliant,

Ronald affectionately pinched her cheek. He gestured to the butler "We'll do a platter of hot wings tonight Haff mild fall spicy Don't make the spicy ones too hot."

"Right away, sir," the butler said, bowing respectfully.

Ronald turned back to Stella. "Is that okay?" He was specifically referring to the spice level. Back in Portis City, she used to devour the spiciest wings imaginable.

"Whatever works," Stella agreed cheerfully. As long as it was hot wings, she was happy to compromise on the heat.

Meanwhile, Xander brought Yvonne back to the Schultz family estate before heading out to meet Shaw and the rest of his crew. The moment they stepped through the front door, they heard Mona screaming at Tristan in the middle of a heated argument.

"Look at the way she's managing this household!" Mona's shrill voice echoed from the hallway. "She didn't leave a single dollar for groceries! With her penny-pinching, are we all supposed to starve? She leaves the house before breakfast and doesn't come back until after dinner. She doesn't take care of a single thing, yet she insists on being in charge!"

It sounded like Mona was furious that she couldn't siphon money from Tristan anymore, so she was using Yvonne's new role as the household manager to stir up drama.

Yvonne and Xander exchanged a glance. Xander's expression darkened instantly. Yvonne gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't look so grim. She can scream until she's blue in the face, but she's not getting her hands on the household finances again."

It was comical that Mona even tried. Now that the authority was in Yvonne's hands, it belonged to her. No one was going to pry it away.