Stella gently patted Marvin's head, whispering, "It's okay, I've already called the police."
As she spoke, the call connected.
Stella maintained a calm demeanor, though her voice was filled with urgency as she recounted the danger they were in.
"There's a crazy man outside trying to break down our door, threatening to kill us... It's terrifying. We've got a five-year-old kid and a seventy-something-year-old man here... We're no match for him."
She put the phone on speaker.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The pounding on the door was deafening.
The voice on the other end of the line grew more serious. "Try to find a safe place to hide and grab anything you can use to defend yourselves. We're on our way."
After hanging up, Marvin still looked worried.
"Stella, do you think the police will get here in time?"
Stella smiled gently, "Don't worry, they will."
She turned to Mr. Burton. "Mr. Burton, do you have anything here that might cause an allergic reaction?"
Mr. Burton immediately caught on to Stella's plan. With a wry grin, he said, "He picked the wrong old man to mess with. I'll give him a lesson he won't forget."
He rummaged through his shelves, grabbing various jars of medicine and mixing them haphazardly.
BANG!
The door couldn't withstand the assault and crashed to the ground.
Without hesitation, Mr. Burton flung a handful of powder into Jasper's face and shouted to Stella and Marvin, "Cover your mouths and noses."
They quickly complied.
Jasper, on the verge of barging in, was met with a face full of powder.
Whatever was in that concoction, it set Jasper's eyes ablaze with a fiery sting.
"I'm gonna make Stella, that old coot, and the little brat pay! They'll rot in jail for this!"
"They messed me up this bad, I'll make them wish they were dead!"
Caught in his rage, Jasper seemed to forget that Stella was still married to Haynes, and Marvin was Neville's son.
Not exactly people you could threaten lightly.
Rachel sat beside Jasper, offering comfort while slyly stoking his anger.
About ten minutes later, Haynes arrived, rubbing his weary eyes, feeling utterly drained.
"What happened this time?"
He had just signed a contract and was heading back to the office when Rachel's call interrupted his plans.
Jasper erupted, "It was Stella! She teamed up with that little kid and the old man to land me in the hospital!"
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