Liz violently threw Stella's wrist away. Stella's wrist bone slammed into the wall, making her frown in pain.

Yet, she barely felt it. All that echoed in her mind were Liz's words.

I curse you to be haunted by nightmares every single night.

Stella forced herself to keep a straight face, barely holding back a complete breakdown.

Just then, a maid approached, holding little Ron. Remington shot the maid a subtle look.

The maid carried Ron right up to Stella. "Ms. West, look..."

The moment Ron laid eyes on Stella-whether he instinctively disliked her or was simply terrified by her ghastly appearance-he scrunched up his face and burst into loud wails.

Snapping out of her daze, Stella stared at the wailing toddler, his red little mouth stretched wide. The sight instantly dragged her back into the abyss of her terror from the night before.

Stella suddenly shrieked, "Get away from me!"

She took a violent swing at the baby in the maid's arms. But before her hand could even come close to Ron, Remington lunged forward and grabbed her wrist in an

iron grip.

"Stella, is this what you meant when you said you treat Ron like your own son? Have you no shame when you think of your brother, who died in a car crash while looking for you?!"

Remington's grip was bone-crushing. Tears sprang from Stella's eyes and streamed down her face. Jolted back to reality, she babbled frantically,

"I didn't mean to! That room last night, it's really haunt—"

She wanted to scream that the room was haunted, but the realization that the supposed ghost was Remington's own son, combined with the absolute glacial fury in his eyes, stopped her cold.

Stella choked on her words. She was genuinely afraid that if she finished that sentence, he would snap her wrist right then and there.

Biting her lip, she quickly changed her tune. "My head injury is really bad. I keep hallucinating and seeing things. I didn't mean to react that way to Ron."

She then forced a look of concern toward the wailing baby.

By now, Liz had already taken Ron from the maid. The little guy plastered his entire tiny body against Liz, clinging tightly to her neck.

It was as if she was the only person in the entire world he trusted.

"Stella, you've terrified Ron. You are not welcome here,"

Liz said icily. Holding Ron securely, she turned and walked back toward the master bedroom.

Remington signaled the bodyguard, who turned to Stella with a stony expression. "Ms. West, please leave."

Stella had come specifically to take Ron back. How could she leave empty-handed?

She wouldn't be able to explain this to Martin West. Frowning, she yelled at Liz's retreating back,

"Liz, Ron is a child of the West family! He is my nephew! He has absolutely nothing to do with you!"

Seeing Ron, who was always so fussy and difficult with her, acting so clingy and dependent on Liz only fueled her fury.

Ignoring Remington's sharp, warning glare, she raised her voice even higher.

"Liz, just because you lost your own baby doesn't give you the right to steal a child from the West family!"

Liz stopped dead in her tracks. Remington frowned, a flicker of genuine anxiety and worry crossing his eyes.

The loss of Joy was the deepest, most agonizing thorn in their hearts. Naturally he was terrified that this vicious remark would trigger Liz.

But Liz turned slowly around, a cold smile curling her lips. She stared down at Stella and let out a soft scoff.

"And what if I am stealing him?"

With that, she carried Ron into the bedroom and shut the door, completely ignoring Stella's manic fit.

Remington gave a curt nod. The

bodyguards immediately grabbed Stella, dragged her kicking and Streaming down the stairs and literally tossed her out the front doors of Oakridge Heights.

Dizzy and seeing stars, Stella stumbled to her feet.

She glared back at the grand villa, her face a sickly shade of pale, consumed by

bitter resentment.

A gust of mountain wind blew causing her to sway unsteadily

Luckily the Westfamily

the car up right at that moment.