The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

As she spoke, something seemed to occur to her.

"Haynie, do you think Ms. Cameron's sudden urge to get a divorce has something to do with Mr. Burton? Maybe he promised her something?"

Before Haynie could answer, Jasper's expression turned to one of surprise.

"Wait, isn't that the pretty boy we saw at the hospital last time? Why is he here with Stella?"

He turned to Haynie, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Hey, you think that pretty boy is Stella's secret lover or something?"

Rachel hadn't noticed Joshua at first, but Jasper's words made her heart skip a beat. She looked over, and instantly, her composure nearly shattered.

Joshua?!noveldrama

What on earth was he doing here?!

Almost as if sensing her gaze, Joshua, who had been chatting with Antoney, turned and looked right at her.

He didn't seem flustered or uneasy in the slightest. In fact, he gave her a small wave and flashed a dazzling smile, completely unconcerned about being seen. Rachel's heart pounded so hard she thought it might burst out of her chest. What is Joshua up to?!

She noticed that Joshua was sitting right in the middle of Stella's group. From the way Abby and Stella spoke to him, it was obvious they knew him well.

Suddenly, Rachel remembered what Joshua had said to her when he visited her at the hospital: He'd promised her a surprise.

Is this what he meant by a surprise?

It felt more like a heart attack than a surprise.

Jasper caught Joshua's gaze and immediately bristled.

"Damn, that pretty boy's actually provoking us on purpose!"

He took Joshua's wave as a challenge and exploded with anger, muttering a stream of curses under his breath, all directed at Joshua. In the end, he even flipped him off.

Rachel watched anxiously from the side.

Joshua wasn't someone Jasper could just insult or provoke as he pleased!

"That's enough, Jasper." Rachel hurriedly grabbed his hand and pushed it down before he could make any more gestures. "The auction's about to start. Let's just take our seats."

Jasper finally tore his eyes away, though he was still visibly annoyed.

As they sat down, Jasper continued

to grumble, unable to let it go. "Foreman, why'd you skip that amazing auction last time for something boring like this? Who cares about old paintings and drawings?"

Foreman just smiled. "There's actually a painting at today's auction that I've been wanting for a long time."

Jasper stared at him, completely baffled. "What's the big deal about these dusty old paintings? Al art these days is just as good as anything these so-called masters ever did."

Foreman shook his head. "No matter how impressive Al gets, it can never capture the emotion of a painting created by a real person."

Haynes shot Jasper a warning look. "Foreman rarely comes to these things. Try not to ruin it for him."

This was the first time Foreman had ever specifically asked to attend an auction. He'd always been the calm and laid-back type, never particularly attached to anything. Yet this time, he seemed genuinely interested in a particular painting.

Haynes was curious, too—what kind of painting could possibly make Foreman so determined?

Rachel's thoughts were in complete disarray.

She could hardly believe Joshua was sitting there with Stella.

What was he trying to do? Get close to Stella to gather information for her? Steal

her sheet music? Poison her slowly?

No, that was impossible.

Stella once mentioned that she kept backups of all her music. Even if something happened to her

originals, she could always proven et

she was the composer. Besides, such clumsy tricks-Rachel wouldn't stoop to them, and Joshua certainly wouldn't either.