The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1393

Standing beside him, Stella watched the drama unfold and put two and two together. "You arranged for Violet to come here, didn't you?"

Joshua smiled. "Mm-hm. The Williams family was planning to use stalling tactics, waiting for the scandal to die down before dealing with her. I just helped ruin their perfect plan."

It was a ruthless move. Not only had Joshua shattered their hopes of quietly sweeping the matter under the rug, but he had also forced the issue into the spotlight. Tonight was supposed to be about Old Mr. Chapman's birthday and the announcement of Jonathan and Lauretta's engagement. They were meant to be the main characters. Instead, Joshua had made Violet and Israel the center of attention, forcing Skyler's hand.

If Skyler were to break his promise now, no one would ever trust the Williams family in marriage negotiations again. It would undoubtedly jeopardize Coleman and Aurora's future union as well.

Stella's eyes drifted toward Leonard in the crowd. "Leonard's network is so vast. How could he not have tried to stop this?" After all, this was Solmaris. Even Joshua couldn't completely blind Leonard's intelligence network here.

Joshua chuckled softly. "Some people have been on their high horse for so long they think a single smile is enough to make everyone die for them, without ever offering anything more in return. They don't realize that the aloofness they pride themselves on is starting to lose its effect."

Stella guessed he was talking about Aurora. She glanced at Leonard again. "Can Leonard really stand by and do nothing for Aurora?"

"If Aurora were willing to swallow her pride right now, I'm sure Leonard would still help her," Joshua said. "But she's too arrogant to do that. And I suspect Leonard is done helping her unconditionally."

Stella knew Joshua had tried to drive a wedge between Leonard and Aurora, but she found it hard to believe their bond could be so easily shaken.

As if reading her mind, Joshua continued, "Leonard fought his way up from being a powerless, bullied illegitimate son to where he is today. He's known very little kindness in his life, so the small bit of warmth Aurora showed him back then became something he treasured. He may be the head of a family now, but in many ways, he's still naive. When you've never tasted a gourmet meal, you treat scraps like a feast. Now that he's seen what else is out there, the scraps on his plate don't seem so appetizing anymore."

"Okay," she nodded.

Only then did the tension in Joshua's expression soften.

…

After returning to the manor, Joshua called Harold. "Are you ready on your end?"

"Mr. Gardner," Harold replied respectfully, "everything is in place. We're just waiting for Sellers to take the bait."