The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

"Something happened?" Stella's expression flickered. “What's wrong with him?"

Abby, clearly delighted by the news of Leonard's misfortune, couldn't hide her excitement.

She said, "Early this morning, Leonard was attacked during the contract signing. It's all over the trending news."

"The Lerman family has some major business deal going on with Lythania. The signing today was a huge event-they even streamed it live, worldwide."

For a family as powerful as the Lermans, sealing a strategic partnership with a nation was hardly out of the ordinary. A global live stream was just business as usual.

Abby launched into a detailed retelling of what she'd seen in the trending video.

"Leonard-who knows if he was being chased by a hitman-showed up at the signing with a gash across his face and a leg injury. He actually rolled in on a wheelchair."

She glanced around, then lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Maybe it was Neville's people, helping you out behind the scenes."

Stella said nothing.

She knew all too well that Leonard's injuries-his face and his leg-were courtesy of her.

No one ever questioned Stella about what she'd been through, and she never offered any details. For her, that chapter of her life was something she'd rather not revisit.

But Stella wasn't one to run from the past, either.

The fact that Leonard had insisted on appearing in a wheelchair at such a crucial contract signing spoke volumes about how important this deal was.

And yet, just before this event, he had gone out of his way to kidnap her— intending to drag her away and continue tormenting her.

It just showed how arrogant he was.

He truly believed he could abduct her and still walk away unscathed, that nothing would jeopardize his precious deal.

Stella asked, "You said Leonard was attacked at the signing. What exactly happened?"

Abby's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"The video looked like something out of an action movie! Leonard took a bullet

right to the chest-the place exploded into chaos."

She animatedly described the scene, waving her hands and then pulling out her phone to show Stella the video she'd already downloaded, just in case it disappeared from the internet.

Several hours had passed since the incident, but the story was still dominating every news feed. The hype showed no sign of dying down. Of course-this was Novaris. No one was in a rush to bury the story, and Leonard's influence didn't reach that far.

The video itself was short-barely five seconds.

It showed Leonard shaking hands with the Lythanian representative and exchanging contracts.

Suddenly, something hit Leonard in the chest, and he crumpled to the ground.

His bodyguards rushed to shield him, while chaos erupted. The audience scrambled for the exits, but some gutsy reporters kept filming, refusing to let go of their scoop.

Stella watched the video, her eyebrows arching.noveldrama

"That fast? And not even a gunshot?"

Abby nodded. "They say a silencer was used. If you weren't standing right there, you wouldn't have heard a thing."

"Did Leonard die?" Stella asked.

Abby's face twisted with

disappointment. "He's still

BUT

alive-barely. They rushed him to a hospital in Lythania, and any information about him is locked down tight. But Haynes managed to dig up something. The bullet missed his heart by just a centimeter... What a shame."

She shrugged. "Still, I'd say he's finally getting what he deserves."

Stella nodded slightly.

A bullet that close to the heart-he was lucky to be alive, but still in real danger.

Abby, relishing her role as storyteller, shifted the conversation with a dramatic flourish.