The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1344

"You're right," Stella said. "Violet Yancey's father wanted her to climb the social ladder, preferably by marrying into the Williams family, so he orchestrated the whole thing with Israel."

Violet was the woman at the center of the scandal. Her family was indeed involved, so Israel wasn't entirely a victim. They had planned the entire follow-up, but they had underestimated the Williams family's power and connections, and the matter had been buried.

According to Stella's investigation, the forced abortion had caused permanent damage to Violet's body, making it difficult for her to ever conceive again. She had been used as a pawn, passed back and forth, and was the only one who ended up truly hurt. She despised both Israel and her own family. By making the story public, she could get revenge on them both.

"Does she still want revenge?" Joshua asked.

"Yes. The hatred she has for Israel runs deep. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been willing to risk a scorched-earth approach by working with me." Being forced onto an operating table was a traumatic experience for any woman. She had no desire to marry Israel. Perhaps she had considered making the best of a bad situation at first, but his subsequent actions had shattered any last glimmer of hope.

"I have an idea," Joshua said. "It could help her get revenge and make Israel's life miserable at the same time."

Stella looked at him expectantly. "What is it?"

"If she marries Israel and becomes your sister-in-law, she'll be living with him day in and day out. She'll have endless opportunities for revenge. With her keeping him busy, he won't have time to bother you. We can even provide her with some support behind the scenes so she's not completely isolated."

Stella's eyes flickered with thought. "Isn't using her marriage to get revenge too high a price to pay?"

Despite her pragmatic explanation, Joshua knew that at her core, Stella was still a kind person.

He looked at the canvas and asked, "Star, are you this good to everyone who has ever helped you?"

Stella, who was mixing colors, paused. "Not really. I just don't like being indebted to people. And this is a small thing. It won't affect anything."

She finished mixing her colors and resumed painting.