The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Abby's heart skipped a beat under Leonard's icy stare, a cold sweat prickling down her back. Every instinct screamed that this man was dangerous, not someone to cross lightly.

But when her gaze flickered to Stella standing beside her, Abby mustered her courage and spoke up, forcing her voice to stay steady. "If anyone's been talking about your precious goddess, it was me-not Star. She had nothing to do with it. If you're looking for someone to blame, take it out on me. Let Star go!"

Abby took a shaky breath, locking eyes with Leonard. "Star is part of the Williams family. If you dare touch her, they'll come after you-and you can forget about ever being with Aurora."

For a moment, Leonard was silent. Then, unexpectedly, he started to laugh. The sound was light, but something about it made Abby's skin crawl.

He clapped his hands lightly. "Ms. Murphy, you really do live up to your reputation as the top agent in the business. Quite the silver tongue you've got there."

His smile never reached his eyes. "Since you want me to come after you instead... very well. I'll grant your wish."

Leonard turned to his men. "Is Sellers Burton here?"noveldrama

"He's arrived," one of them replied. "Waiting outside."

"Bring him in," Leonard ordered with a nod.

Moments later, Sellers entered the villa. He hadn't even crossed the threshold before he spotted Leonard.

"What's the emergency, Leonard? Is it about Aurora-"

The words caught in his throat as he saw Stella and Abby.

Sellers' brows knitted in surprise. “You actually managed to get them here?"

It was no small feat; with both Haynes and Foreman watching over Stella, Leonard still managed to capture her. That alone spoke volumes.

Leonard regarded Sellers coolly. "I hear you and Stella have some bad blood between you."

Sellers gave a casual shrug, a faint smile on his lips. "Just a few minor disagreements. With her family connections, I can't exactly go too far, can I?"

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He wasn't defending Stella-far from it. Sellers simply wanted to keep his distance from this mess. After all, he and Karl had both suffered at Stella's hands, but he'd never dared retaliate. Stella's connectionsmade her untouchable, not someone to be trifled with. Even without Mr. Burton's ties, she was still a Williams; she wasn't someone you could just teach a lesson to whenever you pleased.

He wasn't like Leonard, ready to explode at the drop of a hat. That's why he'd always subtly pushed Leonard to deal with Stella instead. If Stella suffered, Sellers could feel avenged, but the fallout-anothe blame-would land squarely on Leonard's shoulders.

Of course, Leonard hadn't clawed his way to the head of the family without seeing through Sellers' little ploys. He simply couldn't be bothered to call him out.

"Sellers," Leonard said quietly, "I've never claimed to be a saint. Playing the villain

a few more times doesn't bother me."

He paused, a smirk playing on his lips, though his eyes stayed cold. "But because of your incompetence, Aurora's had to suffer again and again You can't even handle one woman? You say you care about Aurora-so what have you actually done for her? If you're so afraid of this and that, maybe it's time you stepped aside and stopped trying to win her over. Otherwise, what right do you have to show your face in front of her again?"

Sellers' expression darkened. He pressed his lips together, unable to argue Leonard was right, and he knew it.

Leonard waved off the topic. "Enough. It's your choice now. Stay here, or walk away and keep being a coward."

Sellers glanced at Stella, then said, "Whatever happens, Stella is a member of the Williams family. She can't be killed. But that woman—"

He turned his gaze to Abby. "She slandered Aurora in public, didn't she? Let's start with her. She's Stella's best friend. Let Stella watch as her closest friend suffers because of her, and let her taste the despair of being powerless to stop it."