The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1202

The innkeeper's wife rambled on, urging Joshua to cherish a woman who would stick by him through thick and thin. Normally, Joshua would have found her chattering intensely annoying, but today, for some reason, it was music to his ears. The way she kept referring to Stella as "your girlfriend" was particularly pleasing, seeming to blow away the dark clouds that had gathered in his mind.

…

Stella returned not long after. The innkeeper's wife gave her a knowing smile and patted her on the shoulder.

"Your boyfriend is a good man."

Stella knew the woman had misunderstood their relationship, but she didn't bother to correct her. When traveling, it was best to attract as little attention as possible.

That evening, Stella once again read Joshua a bedtime story, and just like before, he drifted off to the sound of her voice.

Three days passed in a flash.

Stella received a phone call. "Ms. Cameron, the helicopter is ready."

She glanced at the time. Antoney Watson was scheduled to leave in three hours. His departure would serve as a decoy, drawing the attention of the Gibson family. While they were occupied with him, she and Joshua could take the helicopter out of the locked-down city, transfer to a private jet, and after a layover in another country, return to Solmaris.

Antoney's sudden arrival in Germany was bound to attract Gibson's notice. It was no secret that she and Antoney were close, so Gibson would undoubtedly suspect he was there to rescue her and would monitor his movements closely. When Antoney left today, Gibson would try to intercept him, demanding to search his plane.

But Antoney was the heir to the Watson family; Gibson wouldn't dare lay a hand on him. Even if he found Stella, all he could do was demand her surrender. If he didn't find her, he'd look like a fool and have to apologize, a delay Antoney would skillfully exploit.

He nodded slowly. "I'll just pack up our things."

This time, his poor health had left him unable to contribute much. Meanwhile, Stella had grown faster than he could have ever imagined. Adversity, it seemed, was the greatest catalyst for growth. Even Rachel Pearce's schemes had never pushed Stella to this extent.

The thought of Rachel made Joshua's eyes darken. Jake had messaged him yesterday; Rachel had disappeared, apparently captured by Leonard Lerman's men. Joshua wasn't surprised. He had intended to use Leonard and Simone Lerman to eliminate Rachel all along. Someone like her wasn't worth getting his own hands dirty.

After Israel Williams and Rachel, Leonard would be next. Leonard had likely squeezed a lot of information out of Rachel, but Joshua wasn't worried in the slightest.

Dead men tell no tales.