The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Israel scoffed inwardly. What a load of nonsense-talk is cheap, after all.

Yet Aurora, Simone, and Leonard all knew Joshua wasn't just blowing smoke. Other families might balk at coughing up that kind of money, but the Gardners? For them, it was pocket change. The Gardners were, after all, the wealthiest family in the world.

Aurora spoke up, trying to bring the conversation back on track. "Guys, let's not get sidetracked. We're supposed to be discussing Leonard and Star right now."

If they actually took Joshua up on that bet, her brothers wouldn't stand a chance. That thought made a shadow of doubt flicker in Aurora's eyes. She shot Leonard a sidelong glance; he glanced back. The look they exchanged was brief but knowing, a silent agreement passing between them.

Aurora's mind wandered back to a question that had been bothering her for a while: why did Joshua keep so close to Stella? Simone had already replaced Stella as his so-called soulmate, so what reason did he have to stick around? No matter how she turned it over in her mind, Aurora couldn't make sense of it.

She certainly didn't believe Joshua was interested in Stella. It wasn't just the fact that Stella was divorced-she also had a child. A man like Joshua could have any woman he wanted; why would he choose Stella? No, there had to be another reason for his attention. And now, it seemed that reason was finally clear.

Perhaps Joshua intended to use Stella as a way to acquire shares in the Williams family business. That would explain why he was staying close, even after moving on from her.

Simone seemed to reach the same conclusion. Her eyes lit up, the gloom from before vanishing in an instant. As long as Joshua's interest in Stella wasn't romantic, Simone could accept any other motive. If Joshua wanted to buy into the Williams Group-well, that just meant he was ambitious, driven. Simone admired him all the more for it.

She didn't feel guilty about Aurora's situation, either. Once she married Joshua, she would simply ask him to return those shares to Aurora. Without Joshua's help, the old guard at the Williams Group would never let Aurora take charge. With them in the way, Aurora's dream of running the company solo was next to impossible. In the end, Simone reasoned, Aurora might even thank her for it.

The more she thought about it, the more pleased Simone became, already daydreaming about a future where she had it all: friendship, love, and success.

Israel and Coleman, meanwhile,

badly wanted Stella to hand over her original shares. But even they realized that gambling over it was far to childish-something people would laugh about for years Better to use the situation with Leonard to pressure Stella into making concessions. If they wanted to buy her out, they'd have to offer her something in return. After all, no one here was a fool.

Stella listened quietly as Joshua and the others talked, her face unreadable, but inside, her thoughts whirled. Was Joshua actually holding evidence, or was he just playing mind games with Leonard and the rest?

She stole a glance at Leonard. His eyes narrowed, and he didn't say a word right away-clearly, he was unsettled. Stella found it odd. Could a few words from Joshua really shake Leonard like this?noveldrama

Skyler rubbed his temples, looking exasperated. "You're all talking in circles. It's impossible to tell who's telling the truth. Star and Leonard do have some history, so I can't rule out the possibility that Leonard would kidnap her."

His words hung in the air, carefully balanced. He admitted Leonard might be guilty, but he also implied Stella could be framing him. Given their history, anything was possible.

Simone quickly recovered her

composure. The rule's always been

simple: whoever makes an

ет

accusation has to provide proof. My brother is the head of the Lerman family. If the Williams familycan't produce solid evidence showing he kidnapped Stella, then Stella's actions-slapping my brother, dousing him with wine, and accusing him publicly-won't be swept under the rug so easily."