The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1223

Foreman was good at one thing: being meticulous about crucial matters, leaving no evidence behind. While Joshua had proof of some of Foreman's actions, they were all minor infractions that could be easily explained away. He wasn't about to risk his standing with Stella over trivialities.

Besides, Foreman's facade was nearly perfect. Abby, Antoney, Keen—they all saw him as a gentle, cultured, and kind man. Even his own best friend, Haynes, had only recently grown suspicious of him. Exposing Foreman's true nature was, for the moment, impossible.

But Joshua wasn't in a hurry. He had nothing but time. He wasn't interested in maybes or possibilities; he wanted a kill shot.

For now, though, riling Foreman up was proving to be quite entertaining.

Hearing Joshua's provocations, Foreman finally lost his composure.

He lunged forward and grabbed Joshua by the collar. "You think you're worthy of her?"

How much effort had he poured into securing a place in Stella's heart? He'd staged so many incidents, played the victim time and again, just to earn her trust. He knew she'd been hurt by Haynes before, and getting close to her wasn't going to be easy. He had to be better than Haynes, treat her better than Haynes ever did. Otherwise, why would she ever choose him?

He had been working toward that goal all this time, but he never expected a scoundrel like Joshua to appear out of nowhere and ruin everything.

Joshua's arrogance was blatant. "That's right. Just me. Surely you know what it means when a woman accepts a rose from a man?"

He glanced at the rose on the bedside table. "Star's favorite flower is baby's breath; she was never that fond of roses. But this one… she loves this one. She even said it would be a shame to let a flower I worked so hard to pick for her just wither away. She's planning to have it preserved so she can keep it on her desk at the office and look at it every day…"

Foreman was usually a man of immense self-control, but after so many piercing words, he finally snapped. He swiped the vase off the bedside table.

*Crash!*

"Star, Mr. Richards is right. I was useless. I failed to rescue Abby, and all I did was get myself hurt. Instead of helping you with your burdens, I've just become another one for you to take care of."

Joshua's expression grew somber.

"It's only right that Mr. Richards thinks I'm useless. I didn't do my job properly."

Stella walked into the room, carrying a bowl of freshly made broth that filled the air with a warm, savory scent. She glanced at Foreman, and though it seemed she wanted to say something, the words of reprimand died on her lips.

"Foreman," she said softly, "what happened wasn't Joshua's fault. He did everything he could."