The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1452

Stella went to Skyler's study.

"How are your grandparents?" Skyler asked.

"They're still quite robust," Stella replied.

"And you've met your uncles?"

"I have."

"I imagine you've seen the room where your mother used to live?" Skyler pressed.

Stella nodded.

"Star," Skyler began, "I don't know if you noticed, but your mother's villa is in the most remote part of the entire Cameron estate. They might have only had one daughter, but that family has always been a textbook case of patriarchal bias. Nora was brilliant from a young age, leagues ahead of her mediocre brothers. But no matter how exceptional she was, her parents turned a blind eye. They refused to invest in her, refused to give her any of the family's resources or shares."

A cynical smile touched Skyler's lips. "And what was the result? Her three brothers were completely incompetent. A few years after inheriting the business, they nearly ran the Cameron enterprise into the ground. And even then, her parents expected Nora to prop up her three useless brothers. They prized their sons above all else, yet in the end, they relied on a woman to carry three men.

Nora wanted the benefits and treated Skyler as a business partner, a means to produce an heir.

As Skyler recounted his history with Nora, a nostalgic look crossed his face, his eyes a swirling mix of complex emotions—admiration, affection, regret. "Your mother said she wouldn't meddle with my first love, but she asked that I not be too flagrant about it, as it would make her look bad publicly. What I didn't expect was that my so-called first love would go behind my back to provoke Nora, twisting the truth to deceive me!"

When he spoke of his first love now, there was no warmth left in his eyes, only icy disgust. "After she caused Nora to go into premature labor, she showed no remorse. She even plotted to kill Jonathan to get her hands on the Williams family fortune. How could I let her continue?!"

Over the years of conflict between the two women, Skyler had gradually seen his first love's true, malicious nature and, at the same time, realized just how brilliant and dazzling Nora was. He started coming home more often, found himself uncontrollably drawn to her, and slowly, inevitably, fell in love.