The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1741

Leonard had a notorious reputation. He was known for being ruthless, not for his charm, so women rarely threw themselves at him.

The few who were brave enough to try were brutally rejected, as his heart had already belonged to someone else.

For that reason, he'd never been truly intimate with a woman.

Now, Aurora's forwardness and teasing were becoming unbearable.

Leonard strode out of the room.

Aurora didn't follow him. Instead, she watched his retreating back, a dark smile playing on her lips.

Just as he left the room, Leonard saw Stella walking toward him, laughing and chatting with Lauretta.

A flicker of joy lit up his eyes.

But a moment later, the sound of a door opening came from behind him.

Aurora emerged, her clothes in disarray. "Leonard, you hurt me."

Seeing the scene in front of her, Stella stopped in her tracks.

Leonard froze for only a second before quickly realizing what was happening.

He instinctively tried to explain himself to Stella. "Nothing happened between us. Don't get the wrong idea."

Given the circumstances, no one would have believed that nothing happened.

Stella took a few steps back, putting a safe distance between herself and Leonard.

"Mr. Lerman, you don't need to explain anything to me."

In Leonard's eyes, however, her retreat was a clear sign that she didn't believe him.

He grew anxious. Ignoring the fact that others were present, he closed the distance between them, grabbing Stella's shoulders and staring into her eyes.

Why would her brother do something like that?

Stella noticed Lauretta's distress. She had intended to ignore Leonard, but now she changed her mind.

She asked, "You're saying that Lauretta asked you to come here, but Aurora was the one who showed up?"

The fact that she was finally engaging at all sent a rush of relief through him.

He rushed to distance himself from Aurora. "I came out as soon as she arrived and ran right into you."

But Stella wasn't interested in his explanation.

"How do you know it was Lauretta's brother who used her name to set up the meeting?" she asked.

"I've been in contact with Lauretta before, so I have her number," Leonard said. "The message came from her phone. Only someone close to her could have used her phone without her knowing and managed to evade my background check. Besides McCoy, no one else could have done it."