The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Abby stared at him, thoroughly confused. "Take action? What do you mean, take action?"

Joshua spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We break Harry's hand. That way, he can't compete."

Abby repeated the words, stunned. "Break Harry's hand... so he can't compete?"

Joshua raised his eyebrows. "What, you'd rather see Ms. Cameron lose her ability to play the violin forever?"noveldrama

Abby shook her head. "If Star agreed to this bet, it means she's completely confident she'll win. But you, Joshua..."

She shot him a strange look, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

"How did you come up with the idea of breaking Harry's hand?"

Joshua replied, "Harry set up this whole wager to destroy Ms. Cameron's career. It's no different than ruining her hand. If he's willing to go that far, why shouldn't we?"

Abby thought about it and, to her own surprise, found his reasoning disturbingly logical.

She glanced around, making sure no one was listening, and lowered her voice. "Harry's a celebrity. If something happened to his hand before the competition, suspicion would fall on us immediately. Star's about to headline her first major concert-she doesn't need that kind of trouble. Not to mention..."

She looked over at Stella, who stood poised on the stage. "Star's already at her peak. She might be able to beat Harry fair and square."

Before the competition, Stella's hand had made a full recovery under Dr. Burton's careful treatment-no scars, no lingering pain.

It really did pay to know a great doctor.

Still...

Abby shot Joshua a grateful glance. If he hadn't noticed the warning signs in time, Stella might have ended up with a permanent injury.

Joshua took it all in, then nodded, as if a lightbulb had gone off.

"I get it. If we can't touch him before the competition... there's always after."

By the time their whispered conversation ended, Harry and Stella were already in position, ready to play.

To keep the outcome undisputed,

both would perform the same piece.

For fairness, the repertoire was decided by drawing lots: each of them submitted two pieces, and the host would pick one at random on stage.

Harry, of course, put forth two of the most technically demanding pieces in the violin world.

Stella, on the other hand, chose two of her mother Nora's signature compositions —challenging, yes, but nowhere near as punishing as Harry's selections.

As soon as the pieces were revealed, the internet lit up with frantic comments.

“Echoes of the Wind and The Gaze? Is Harry out of his mind?" "What's going on? I'm not a violin expert-can someone explain?"

"Echoes of the Wind and The Gaze are legendary for being the most difficult violin compositions ever written. To put it simply, only a. handful of violinists have ever played them perfectly, without a single mistake. They're so tough that, together with another piéce called Emptiness, they're nicknamed the Devil's Trilogy-a nightmare for even the best players."

"Are they really that hard? Hasn't anyone managed to master them?"

"Some have. Mr. Walden, for one. Nora, too. And, of course... Harry himself. It's precisely because they could perform these three hellish pieces flawlessly that they became famous overnight. There may be other hidden masters out there, but if so, we've never seen them."

"No matter how brilliant Stella is, she's no match for a virtuoso like Harry. If she

draws one of his pieces, she's in serious trouble."