Chapter 28: All Bark, No Bite
Ella hesitated for a moment before calling Marcus.
The phone rang just once before it was picked up.
It connected so quickly that Ella didn’t even have time to react.
A deep, magnetic voice came through the receiver, tinged with urgency.
“You’ve been out for a while. Did something happen?”
Ella gave him a brief rundown of what happened at the bar.
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She didn’t mention Liam’s identity–just said she bumped into her ex–fiance, things got a little messy, and now she was at the police station needing to be bailed out.
Marcus didn’t press for details. He simply said, “Wait there.”
Right after, Ella heard the roar of a car engine from his end.
With nothing else to do, she sat and chatted idly with Stella.
“Still, tonight was supposed to be your wedding night,” Stella teased. “Now you’ve ended up at the police station, and your husband didn’t even raise his voice on the phone? Guy’s got serious emotional control.”
Ella nodded. Yeah, he did seem strangely calm.
“By the way, what’s his name?” Stella asked. “I should probably know what to call him when he shows up.”
“Marcus.”
Stella blinked. “Another Byrne? Did you rob the Byrne family’s ancestral grave in your past life or something? Why can’t you get away from that surname?”
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My Ex Watches as His Uncle Spoils Me Rotten
Chapter 28: All Bark, No Bite
She froze for two seconds, then suddenly sat bolt upright.
“Wait–what did you just say? Your husband’s name is Marcus?”
Ella nodded again.
Stella’s jaw dropped, her mouth so wide it looked like she could swallow an egg. Ella frowned at her
reaction. “What? You know him?”
Worried she might be mistaken, Stella asked, “How do you write it? Show me.”
Ella recalled the name from the marriage certificate that morning. She grabbed Stella’s hand and traced the characters on her palm.
Stella was completely stunned.
It took her a long moment to collect herself. “You…seriously don’t know who Marcus is?”
Ella shook her head innocently.
She only knew his name. Other than that, all she knew was that he ran a company and often came home drunk from business dinners.
Stella’s expression made Ella even more curious. “You do know him, right?”
Before Stella could answer, bang!
The doors to the station swung open. A tall figure strode in, his presence sharp and commanding, nstantly drawing every eye in the room.
Marcus didn’t even glance around. He walked straight over to Ella.
His eyes narrowed when he saw the blood on her arm. “You’re hurt?”
Ella shook her head gently. “It’s not mine. Someone else’s.”
Only then did his expression soften a little. She was wearing something thin, her face pale and her posture fragile as she sat there.
Chapter 28: All Bark, No Bite
Without hesitation, he took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “Button it up.”
“Sorry for making you come out so late…”
Ella’s voice was quiet, a little embarrassed for causing trouble.
Marcus frowned.
“We’re married. Don’t say things like that again.”
Just then, a policeman approached. “You’re here to bail them out, right? Come with me and sign the paperwork. Once that’s done, they can leave.”
Marcus nodded slightly and only then noticed Stella beside Ella.
Their eyes met. Stella hesitated, wondering if she should say something.
Ella had spent three years in prison–it made sense she wouldn’t recognize Marcus. But Stella had met him a few times before.
After all, Marcus and Caleb were tight. So tight that it was impossible not to know him.
They’d even shared meals at the same table before.
They hadn’t talked much, but Stella was pretty sure Marcus remembered her too.
Still.. how could Ella’s husband be Marcus?
It was unbelievable.
As the policeman prepared the paperwork, he motioned for Marcus to follow him to sign.
The moment he walked away, Stella couldn’t hold it in any longer.
‘Spill it. What’s going on between you two? How did you even end up married? Who brought it up?”
“Him, I think…”
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Ella recalled that ridiculous morning and felt a bit awkward.
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Chapter 28: All Bark, No Bite
Stella, however, looked serious.
Everyone had heard about the scandal between Ella and Liam.
Yet Marcus was willing to marry her?
That didn’t add up. At all.
But the more she thought about it, the more Stella felt… vindicated.
Marcus’s position in the Byrne family was untouchable. And now Ella had married him, which meant Liam’s ex–fiancee had become his aunt–in–law.
Imagine family dinners, holidays… Liam having to toast Ella with Natalie by his side…
The thought thrilled Stella to the core.
She looped Ella’s arm through Ella’s and whispered,
“Girl, you seriously hit the jackpot.”
“You have no idea how powerful Marcus is. He and Mat…”
Bang! The station doors flew open again.
Another tall figure entered, but this one reeked of alcohol.
It was Caleb.
He must’ve come straight from the club. When he spotted Stella, he didn’t go to her but turned to the officer. “I’m here to bail them out. Where do I sign?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Before the officer could answer, Stella stood up, her voice frosty. “Someone else already bailed us
out. We don’t need you, Caleb. You can leave.”
Caleb froze for a couple of seconds, then suddenly let out a laugh.
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Chapter 25: All Bark, No Bite
“Someone already posted your bail, so why are you still sitting here? Stella, we were married after all. Since you called and begged me, I came. Why are you still being so stubborn?”
Stella’s eyes turned red.
“Begged you? Who begged you? You can leave right now for all I care.”
The word begged stung like a slap to her pride, leaving her completely shattered inside.
Sensing a full–blown argument coming, Ella quickly stepped in. “Can you two just cool it?”
Caleb said nothing, turned around, and walked out of the station.
He slid into the backseat of his car, lit a cigarette.
The driver turned and asked, “Mr. Donovan, should we head out?”
Caleb exhaled, rolling the window down. Smoke drifted into the night air.
In the darkness, he caught a glimpse of Stella’s shoulders shaking as she cried.
He turned his head away, irritated. “No. We’re not going anywhere.”
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