The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1745

"Star, what is up with Leonard? Has he moved into the Williams family home or something?"

Seeing him once or twice was a coincidence. Seeing him every time... was a problem.

"I guess so," Stella said.

Abby lowered her voice. "Is he just shacking up here with nothing better to do, trying to patch things up with Aurora, or is he here to watch us?"

Stella frowned, deep in thought for a moment, then said to Abby, "Let's go stay at Joshua's place tomorrow."

Abby blinked. "...Wouldn't I just be a third wheel?"

"The Gardners are dealing with some issues right now, so Joshua has to go back to handle things. He'll probably be gone for about a week," Stella explained. "We can stay there for now. It's better to avoid any trouble while he's not around."

Even with Leonard out of sight, Abby couldn't shake the creeping unease.

"Star," Abby whispered, "does Joshua know Leonard is staying at the Williams estate?"

"Not yet," Stella replied. "Joshua's been really busy lately. Whenever we talk on the phone, Harold interrupts with something he needs to report."

She and Joshua hadn't seen each other much, communicating mostly through calls and texts.

"What's he so busy with?" Abby asked curiously.

"He's in the process of transferring assets. Joshua wants to move some of the Gardner family's key businesses to Solmaris."

"Oh," Abby said with a knowing smile. "That's no simple task... Star, Joshua is really going all out for you."

The main reason Joshua wanted to move his businesses to Solmaris was to support Stella and become her strongest backer. Although Joshua had come out on top several times while helping her, those schemes and manipulations couldn't last forever. Ultimately, you had to have your own strength to succeed.

***

Stella worked quickly. The next day, she packed a few essential items and asked Wilbur and Gideon to move the rest of her things while she was away. She didn't want to move her belongings while Leonard was watching her every move.

Abby also took advantage of the situation and temporarily moved into the villa.

For several days, Stella didn't return to the Williams estate.

She took Abby's advice and decided to decorate her and Joshua's room. During her free time, she went to the mall with Abby to shop for items.

One day, the two of them were in a home decor store picking out accessories when Wilbur approached them, a dark look on his face.

He whispered, "Stella, Leonard's here."