The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

He was just about to slip into the shadows and follow when someone gently

tugged at his sleeve.

"Joshua."

Joshua turned. To his surprise, it was Simone Lerman.

Simone beamed at him. "Joshua, what are you doing here? Not keeping Stella

company?"

Joshua calmly slipped his arm free from Simone's grasp. "Did you need

something?"

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Simone lowered her voice.noveldrama

"Joshua, I wanted to talk to you. Would you take a walk with me?"

He wasn't in any particular rush, so after a moment's thought, he nodded.

Simone had always been fond of Joshua. After learning that his background

matched her own, even her last reservation had melted away. Now, the more time

she spent with him, the more she liked him.

They strolled together into the quiet, secluded back garden.

Joshua's true identity still wasn't public knowledge. Simone wanted to seem as

though she liked him for who he was, not because of his status or connections, so

she chose her words with extra care. She couldn't risk asking if his closeness to

Stella was part of some scheme to acquire shares in The Williams Group.

Watching Joshua's expression closely, she asked, "Joshua, is there some

misunderstanding between you and my brother?"

After Leonard's injuries healed, Simone had asked Joshua about the attack. Just

as Aurora Williams had suspected, Leonard had claimed to have seen Joshua at

the hospital.

"Maybe there is," Joshua replied. "After all, your brother did come to see me once.

He told me to stay away from you that I wasn't good enough for you."

Simone's smile faltered. "My brother came to see you? When was this? Why

didn't I know?"

Joshua pretended to think for a few seconds. "It must have been not long before

your brother was hospitalized."

That couldn't be right. She remembered calling Leonard about Joshua around that

time, and her brother had actually praised her taste, saying Joshua would be an

asset to the Lerman family.

Something felt off. "What exactly did my brother say to you?" she pressed.

Joshua gave a small shrug. "He said

a lot of strange things. He told me

maybe I'd picked the wrong person.

He said your violin playing wasn't as

good as Aurora's. Even mentioned

Aurora has the same earrings, plays

the violin too-asked why I was so

sure it was you. In the end, he told

me to stay away from you. Said

someone like me, an orphan with no

family, was completely unworthy of

you."

Simone's hands clenched involuntarily.

No wonder Joshua had been so distant with her lately.

So Leonard had really confronted him. But why would her brother say something

like that when he knew exactly who Joshua was?

A sudden thought struck her.

Aurora...

Maybe Leonard had done it for Aurora.

If Aurora could count on Joshua's

help, she'd have no trouble joining

The Williams Group or acquiring

Stella's original shares. And as luck

would have it, Joshua was now

spending time with Stella.

If all of this was for Aurora's benefit, things would fall into place far too easily.

Of course helping Aurora would

mean Leonard gained another rival

in love. But if it meant Aurora's

happiness, Simone knew her brother

would gladly accept it-even if it

meant sharing Aurora with someone

else.

Most people would never dream of undermining their own sister for the sake of

their beloved. But Leonard absolutely would.

Simone had always known that, in Leonard's heart, she'd never come before

Aurora.

She used to think it didn't matter. Back then, she'd been so weak—there was

nothing she could do except accept Leonard's protection.

It was only after meeting Aurora that things changed. With Aurora's support, she

finally found the strength to stand on her own.