The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Haynes glanced at her, but still answered.

"That's right."

Stella's tone was loaded with meaning. "Are you sure you didn't mistake her for someone else? Because if you did, all those years of devotion would've been wasted on the wrong person."

Of course, Haynes could hear the implication behind Stella's words.

He didn't get angry, though. Instead, he replied calmly, "I didn't get it wrong. We met face to face back then, and even talked for a while."

Stella wasn't at all disappointed that her attempt to stir up trouble had failed.

"I suppose that makes sense. Even if Rachel wasn't the one you were looking for, the fact that you've been so drawn to her for so long means there's something about her you can't let go of."

Haynes fell silent.

He had no interest in discussing this, so he changed the subject.

"How's your driving?"

Stella grinned. "Average. I'm still a rookie, really."

Haynes looked intrigued. "A rookie?"

"I've only been driving for about a year. Doesn't that count?"

"Ever raced before?"

"Haven't had the chance."

"I see..."

Their conversation trailed off after that.

Stella focused on the road as she headed toward the Williams family's villa. She kept her speed conservative; they were in the city, after all, and she was careful to obey the traffic laws. Besides, she had a nagging suspicion her driving skills had gotten rusty-how else could she have ended up hitting Joshua?

Lost in thought, Stella suddenly noticed a car up ahead swerving wildly from side to side.

It was late, and traffic was thin, so she could see the situation clearly. She watched as the car's brake lights flashed, but the speed didn't drop at all.

A cold realization struck her. "The brakes... are they failing?"

She glanced at the license plate. It looked familiar.

Haynes noticed too. "Looks like something's wrong with the brakes."

He took one look at the plate and immediately recognized it.

"That's Sellers' car."

Stella's face twisted with distaste. "How do you know?"

"I saw it when we arrived at the auction earlier," Haynes explained.

Stella watched the car's brake lights flicker

karmsperately. "Well, I guesse

thánh

caught up to Sellers faster

I expected."

Haynes glanced at her. "Why do you say that?"

"Isn't it common knowledge he's a creep? Maybe this is payback for that."noveldrama

She made no effort to hide the

satisfaction in her voice-she wenet

enjoying his net

cleatly

For some reason, Haynes found her reaction amusing and actually chuckled.

Stella shot him a glare. "What's so funny?"

His voice was low and rich. "You. You're funny."

She looked at him, baffled. "What's funny about me?"

"It's just...the way you were a minute ago. I found it really amusing."

Stella was at a loss for words for a moment before muttering, "You're nuts."

Haynes spoke, half to her, half to himself. "If only you'd been like this back then." She ignored him.

Meanwhile, Sellers' car was still in trouble; it was only a matter of time before something happened. Stella weighed her options: should she speed up and overtake him, or slow down and keep her distance?

She made her decision in an instant.

She slammed her foot on the gas.

At that moment, Sellers finally realized something was wrong.

His face drained of color. "This isn't good. The car's got a problem."

Everyone in the car turned to him in shock.

Sherman asked, "What's wrong, Uncle?"

"The brakes... They're not working."

Panic swept through the car.

"How could that happen? How do brakes just fail like that?”

"Was it an accident, or did someone do this?"

Just then, another car shot past them, speeding down the road.

Sherman caught a glimpse of a familiar face through the window.

An idea—wild and unbelievable-flashed through his mind. His eyes went wide.

"Could it be...Stella?!"