The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

The thought sent a spark through Jasper's eyes.

Wasn't this Stella's dirty little secret?

After all, she was playing the "other woman" now.

Jasper grew more and more excited. This time, he'd make sure Stella's reputation was ruined for good. And then Rachel would finally see him in a new light—maybe even praise his cleverness.

Meanwhile, Sellers' face darkened as Joshua blocked his path. He recognized Joshua-he'd seen him at the last auction with Stella and the others. Sellers' eyes flickered, then caught sight of Foreman standing nearby. In an instant, it all clicked into place.noveldrama

He stopped, fixing Stella with a chilling, predatory gaze that made those nearby uneasy.

"Quite the manipulator, aren't you?" he sneered.

Stella feigned confusion. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, Mr. Burton."

Sellers discovering the truth was exactly what Stella had anticipated. He wasn't an idiot; with such an obvious setup, of course he'd figure it out. She wanted him frustrated, unable to defend himself.

Sellers glanced at the crowd surrounding them, their faces a mix of curiosity and contempt. Most people looked at him with open disdain. He unconsciously clenched his fists.

This woman-once so easily thrown out of the Williams family by a simple trick from Sherman Burton-wasn't so easy to deal with anymore.

Sellers knew there was nothing he could say to make things better. The more he tried to explain, the guiltier he'd look. Stella had orchestrated this just to push him over the edge.

He shot Stella a cold, threatening look. "I'll remember this."

With that, he didn't bother arguing further. He turned on his heel and strode away.

As soon as he left, the restaurant erupted in hushed whispers.

"Who does that guy think he is, putting on a show like that?"

"Looked like he was about to hit her. What a maniac."

"He seemed decent enough at first glance, but his character is just rotten."

Jasper felt a pang of

disappointment. Things had wrapped up too quickly. His live stream was just picking up steam, the viewers were loving the drama, and now the main villain had left the stage? Without Sellers, the audience would lose interest.

Stella glanced at Foreman, who stood quietly nearby, and gave him a slight nod.

Foreman didn't go up to greet Stella. Instead, he turned to Jasper. “Jasper, it's getting late. We should head back."

With Sellers gone, there wasn't much left to film. Besides, Jasper wasn't keen on seeing Stella right now anyway.

He nodded. "Yeah, let's get out of here."

Their departure didn't seem to register with Stella at all.

Once they'd left the restaurant, a wicked thought struck Jasper. Why not stir

things up online-smear Stella's name good and proper?

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What should the headline be? "The Secret Life of Stella: Mistress Exposed" No, that wouldn't work. Stella had just gotten divorced; such a titleCould be considered slander, and Stella wasn't someone to mess with now. Plus, if Haynes found out, he'd be furious.

Jasper finally decided to get his hands on the footage of that woman barging in and screaming at Sellers.

He'd blur Stella's face, hire a ene

trolls to drop hints, and let the

internet sleuths do the rest. Stella was about to hold a concert, wasn't she? Dropping this kind of scandal now might even jeopardize her performance.

The more Jasper thought about it, the more brilliant he felt.

He decided not to mention anything to Rachel just yet he wanted to give her a

surprise when the time was right.

The thought made Jasper break into a smug little grin.

Foreman noticed and asked, "Jasper, what's so funny?"

Jasper snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh-uh, nothing. Nothing at all.”