The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1203

However…

Joshua glanced discreetly at Stella. She hadn't grown up in his world; she had an aversion to violence. Just killing Leonard seemed anticlimactic. Perhaps it would be more interesting to keep him alive and torment him slowly.

As he packed, his mind churned with plans for the future. When he reached for one of the bags, his fingers brushed against something unexpected.

He pulled the contents out, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "What… is this?"

Hearing his voice, Stella turned and saw him holding two unusually shaped candles.

She froze. The next second, her face went scarlet. She suddenly remembered the shopkeeper's lecherous grin when she'd bought the supplies. After she paid, he'd even told her, "If they work well, come back for more. I'll give you a discount." At the time, she hadn't understood what he meant. Now it was painfully clear he'd thrown in a couple of "gifts."

One look at the candles was enough to know they weren't for illumination. They were…

Stella snatched them from his hand and shoved them back into the bag. But in her haste, the entire contents of the bag spilled onto the floor.

Rope. Handcuffs.

Combined with the bizarrely shaped candles, the collection painted a vivid and deeply embarrassing picture.

Stella saw the look in Joshua's eyes change. She wanted to explain, but where would she even begin? After all, she *had* bought those things for him.

In the end, she silently gathered the items from the floor, her expression carefully neutral. "Everything's packed. Let's go."

Stella grabbed Joshua's arm and practically dragged him away.

Ten minutes later, they were seated in the helicopter. As the city shrank below them, Stella felt a strange sense of dislocation. They had only been in Germany for a few days, but it felt like a lifetime.

Her plan unfolded perfectly. Shortly after leaving Germany, she received a message from Antoney confirming he had also made it out safely.

Two days later, Stella was finally back in Solmaris.

Upon returning to the Williams Mansion, she was about to head upstairs to rest when she saw the three Williams brothers waiting for her in the grand hall. They seemed to have been lying in wait.

Her reaction showed no trace of surprise. Turning to Joshua, she said, "Joshua, why don't you go on ahead?"