The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1325

He turned to Aurora. "We can't let Joshua continue to help her."

Aurora was silent for a few moments before speaking. "Father and Jonathan already tried to get Stella to deal with Joshua, but she refused. She was willing to burn her bridges with us to protect him, even saying they'd have to go through her dead body to get to him."

The original shares Stella held meant the Williams family couldn't afford a complete falling out, especially with their family ties. While Stella had no real power base in Solmaris, she could still cause them a world of trouble if she wanted to, and people like Antoney and Haynes would definitely back her up.

Israel, listening to their discussion, latched onto the main point. "If Joshua is so determined to play stepdad, then he has to go. He'll be endless trouble later. He's at his weakest right now. Why not strike while the iron is hot? Kick him while he's down!"

Coleman shot him a look. "Joshua is the head of the Gardner family, and Stella is protecting him. Do you think killing him is that simple? Even if he dies, it cannot be traced back to us. Don't forget, we'd have to deal with not just Stella, but retaliation from the entire Gardner family."

"So we can't do this, and we can't do that!" Israel said, exasperated. "Are we supposed to just wait for him to recover and help Stella seize power?"

Coleman turned to Aurora. "Do you have any ideas?"

Aurora thought for a moment. "Israel is right, Joshua can't die by our hands. However, he cost Leonard an arm. Knowing Leonard, he won't let that go. He wouldn't be afraid of Joshua, even if he is the head of the Gardner family."

Coleman's eyes lit up, a slow smile spreading across his face. "That's right. Leonard's been recovering for a while now. He should be just about ready."

Though he couldn't talk, Keen remembered what had happened. He gestured with his hands, indicating he wanted to see Mr. Joshua.

Stella took him to the ICU and let him look through the window. The sight of Joshua lying motionless on the bed, hooked up to a web of tubes and machines, brought tears streaming down Keen's face. He knew that without Mr. Joshua, he would have died there.

After a week of Dr. Burton's expert care, Joshua's condition finally stabilized enough for him to be moved to a regular ward. But he remained in a coma.

One day, Stella received an unexpected phone call.