The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Despite his words, the contempt in the officers' eyes was unmistakable.

A grown man, accusing a defenseless woman of trying to kill him-how could he utter such a blatant lie? It was pathetic, almost laughable.

No one voiced their thoughts outright, maintaining a polite silence, but Sellers could see right through their carefully blank stares. He was no fool; their disdain was plain as day.

He'd always been exceptional, always admired. Never before had he been on the receiving end of such scorn. The humiliation burned, sharp and bitter.

Forcing down his anger, Sellers replied coldly, "That's not it. My issue is with her ramming my car."

Attorney Whitman smiled easily. "Ms. Cameron has already explained-she did it to save you."

Sellers shot back, his tone icy, "She and I have a long-standing feud. Why would she risk her life to save me out of the blue?"

Whitman feigned surprise. "But her own sister and an old friend were in the car as well. She risked everything to save them. Isn't that exactly what you'd expect?"

Whitman's skill with words could turn black into white. Sellers, for all his bluster, was no match for such a seasoned lawyer.

At last, Whitman turned to the officers. "Gentlemen, the footage clearly shows my client intervened to stop the car. That's indisputable.

There's absolutely no motive for Ms. Cameron to commit murder. If anything, I'd suggest looking into Mr. Burton-"

He paused, his meaning hanging in the air. "Instead of tracking down whoever tampered with the brakes, Mr. Sellers has been intent on making baseless accusations against my client.

One has to wonder what he's trying to hide, making such wild allegations with no evidence at all."

Earlier, before the security footage was played, nearly everyone-except Haynes and Neville—had sided with Sellers. But now, after seeing the truth for themselves, their opinions shifted dramatically. Sellers' reputation, once spotless, was in tatters. No one was buying his story anymore.

Ten minutes later, Stella walked out of the hospital, perfectly unharmed.

Sellers' accusation of "attempted murder" completely fell apart.

Everyone except Sherman stood up for Stella, vouching for her character. With no evidence to

suggest otherwise, the police had no grounds to arrest her especially with someone as sharp and relentless as Whitman on her side.

As the group reached the hospital doors, Stella turned to Haynes.

"Thank you for finding me such a good lawyer," she said, her tone sincere.

She believed in giving credit where it was due.

Then, glancing at Whitman, she smiled warmly. "Thank you for all your help today, Mr. Whitman."

Whitman waved off her thanks. "It was no trouble at all. I was glad to do it."

He'd heard about Haynes' wife before, but this was his first time meeting her in person. He'd often been called in to bail Jasper out of trouble, and Jasper never missed a chance to badmouth Stella.

met

He'd expected Haynes' wife to be rough around the edges, just as Jasper had described. But now, seeing her for himself—Stella was poised intelligent, and strikingly beautiful She carried herself with reat grace, nothing like the unflattering picture Jasper had painted.

Truth be told, she was far more impressive than Ms. Pearce, in every way.

He honestly couldn't see why

Haynes would give up such an

exceptional wife for someone so unremarkable. Affairs usually happened because the other woman

offered something more youth, beauty, power, excitement. But if the

mistress wasn't even an

improvement, what was the point?

Checking his watch, Whitman turned to Haynes. “Mr. O'Brien, if there's nothing

else, I'll take my leave."

Haynes nodded quietly in response.noveldrama