The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

"That guy's not bad either-he's great at archery."

"If there were more than one first place, maybe he'd have won too."

"I overheard that little boy calling the beautiful woman 'Mom'... She looks so young and gorgeous, you'd never guess she has a kid. If I didn't know better, I'd think she wasn't even married."

"Both of those handsome men gave her gifts. I'm so jealous."

For a moment, everyone was talking at once, but the general consensus was that Stella and Haynes were a couple-after all, they had a child together.

Stella glanced at the gift Haynes handed her, her expression polite but distant. "Thank you, but that's not necessary. You can just give it to Keen."noveldrama

Haynes's face darkened instantly.

She had accepted a gift from Joshua, yet she refused his. And with so many people watching-knowing he was the father of her child-she didn't give him the slightest courtesy.

A simmering anger stirred in Haynes, not because Stella embarrassed him in public, but because, in her eyes, he still didn't matter as much as this Joshua, who had come out of nowhere.

Just as Haynes was about to speak, Aurora stepped in with a bright smile. "Keen, your mom's won so many prizes today, she can hardly carry them all. Shouldn't you help her out?"

Kids love rewards; Keen eagerly reached for the gifts. "Okay, I'll help Mom hold them."

Stella shot Aurora a long, searching look but said nothing.

Nearby, Simone praised Joshua enthusiastically before turning to him. "Joshua, do you have a moment later? I'd love to challenge you to a round of horseback archery."

Joshua's tone was flat. "Sorry, Miss Lerman, I'm here for work-not for fun."

Simone's smile faltered as she suddenly remembered Stella, whom she'd been ignoring. "Ms. Cameron," she said with a cheerful air, "do you mind if I borrow Joshua for a bit?"

But Stella had already picked up on Joshua's reluctance to interact with Simone. Stella herself felt neither fondness nor dislike for Simone, but since Joshua had once saved Ker, she was happy to help him out of an awkward spot.

"Sorry, Miss Lerman," Stella replied, "but Joshua still needs to teach Keen archery. I'm afraid he won't have time."

Simone's smile faded a little, but she didn't push. "Alright, maybe next time then."

With that, she said her goodbyes to the group and walked off-ever the dignified heiress; she'd never let herself lose face in public.

Aurora, seeing the moment had passed, also took her leave.

Oblivious to the adult tensions swirling around him, Keen looked up in surprise and delight and blurted out, "Dad, how come you're here?"

Mr. Joshua had told him Dad wasn't in a good mood, so Keen hadn't expected him to show up.

But Haynes was never one to act rashly. He answered evenly, "I heard you've been practicing archery lately. I happened to have some time today, so I thought I'd come teach you myself."

Keen blinked, surprised. "Dad, you know how to shoot, too?"

"Of course," Haynes replied.

Keen's eyes widened. "Are you as good as Mr. Joshua?"

Haynes shot Joshua a sidelong glance. "Why don't we find out?"

Joshua looked uncomfortable. "A contest? I think I'll pass."

Haynes was never the competitive type, but for some reason, he couldn't stand

the idea of Stella thinking Joshua was better than him.

He let out a cold laugh. "What's the matter? You afraid you'll lose?"