The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Abby's eyes lit up. "Joshua, you're brilliant! That never even occurred to me."

At the time, both she and Stella had been so focused on Leonard and Sellers, they couldn't have picked out any of the bodyguards from a lineup. Their faces were a blur-Abby hadn't bothered to memorize a single detail.

The same went for Stella.

Who would have thought Joshua would notice such a tiny flaw and actually pin down evidence that left Leonard with no way out?

Now that the whole thing was wrapped up perfectly, Abby finally felt she could breathe easy.

She turned to Stella. "Star, unless you need anything else, I'll be heading off for a while. If you need me, just call. I swear, I'll be there in a heartbeat.”

Joshua wasn't just quick on his feet-he was sharp as a tack. Abby had no qualms about leaving things in his hands.

Stella smiled. "Go on, take care of what you need to. If anything comes up, I'll let you know."

Abby had barely left when Stella's phone rang. It was Israel.

She glanced at Joshua. "Come with me to The Williams Group, will you? We might as well get you familiar with the place."

Joshua nodded without hesitation.

As they settled into the car, Stella remembered how Abby and Joshua had joked about a "reward."

She pulled out her phone and transferred some money to Joshua.

"Joshua, this is your bonus from yesterday," she said.

Stella had lost count of just how many cars Joshua had rammed during the whole ordeal, but she'd made a generous estimate-if anything, she was giving him more than he deserved.

On top of that, she wired him another three million as a reward for finding the crucial evidence.

Stella wasn't strapped for cash these days, but most of her assets were tied up in investments—her liquid funds were actually pretty limited.

After wiring Joshua his reward, she was left with just two hundred thousand in her account.

Two hundred thousand might sound like a lot to most people, but for a family as wealthy as the Williamses, it was pocket change. Sometimes they spent more than that just on a custom-tailored suit.

Joshua didn't accept the transfer, though. "I don't want money," he said. "I'd rather have something else."

Stella raised an eyebrow, surprised. "What do you want?"

He hesitated only a moment, then answered, "Would you paint something for me? I heard Abby and the others saying at the auction that you're not just an artist, you're the famous Summer. That last painting you did went for tens of millions. Clearly, your work is pretty valuable. Who knows, maybe one day I'll become a billionaire just by owning one of your paintings."

Even though Stella's left hand had been badly injured, thanks to Dr. Burton's

careful treatment, her right hand was almost fully recovered.

And painting required only one good hand. She'd be fine.

"That's no problem," Stella replied. "But is there anything else you want? Just one

painting seems a bit too little for what you did."

Joshua had delivered evidence that changed everything. A single painting

seemed hardly enough.

Hearing this, Joshua did pause to think.

"I can add more?" he asked.

Stella nodded.

He held up three fingers. "Three paintings, then."

She blinked. "That's all?"

"That's all," he said, grinning.

Stella almost asked about his insomnia, the question on the tip of her tongue-but

she stopped. Her smile faded.

She couldn't play the violin anymore, which meant she couldn't help treatnoveldrama

Joshua's sleepless nights as she once had.

The car pulled away from the curb.

Joshua usually came across as cheerful and outgoing, but in truth, he wasn't much of a talker. Without Abby there to keep the conversation going, the two of them fell into a much quieter rhythm than before.

Stella noticed something else, too. Ever since Joshua had come back from his time away, he seemed different. Outwardly, he looked the same but she couldn't shake the

feeling that his laughter wasn't as easy, and he wasn't nearly as chatty as he used to be.

She remembered something. "Joshua, that video from Sellers's people did you

have a hacker help you with it, or did you do it yourself?"

She recalled once stopping by Joshua's place and seeing his laptop open on the desk.