The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1986

Haynes's gaze narrowed slightly.

Finishing her conversation with Keen, Stella turned to look at the two men.

The dark emotion in Joshua's eyes instantly receded like the tide, returning to a calm facade.

It was as if what Haynes had just witnessed was nothing more than an illusion.

It seemed that no matter how brilliant Joshua was, he couldn't remain entirely unaffected by hearing about their past.

A little while later, Keen dragged Joshua off to the shooting range for a competition.

The weather was sweltering, so Stella went over to a nearby stand and bought four iced drinks.

Taking the custom beverage from her hand, Haynes raised a brow.

"You still remember my favorite order?"

The drink was specially mixed according to personal preferences.

Haynes belonged to the highly demanding category of customers.

Anyone with a less-than-perfect memory would never be able to keep track of all his specific requests.

Watching Joshua and Keen at the shooting booth, Stella replied coolly, "Is there anything about you I don't know?"

Although Joshua was actively engaged in the competition with the boy, his attention never wavered from Stella.

Even from a distance, he could hear exactly what she and Haynes were discussing.

Just as she finished speaking, Joshua—whose shots practically never missed the bullseye—hit a nine.

Keen stared in disbelief. "Mr. Joshua, you missed?"

Since the day he met him, whether it was throwing darts, archery, or shooting, Joshua had always hit dead center. There had never been an exception.

Today, although his score was still incredibly high, the sudden deviation left Keen utterly amazed.

Joshua glanced over toward Stella. "Yeah, I'm just a little off today."

Stella was chatting and laughing easily with Haynes.

Their actions weren't overly intimate, nor were they standing uncomfortably close.

If anything, it just gave him more time to bond with her son.

Stella thought it over before finally saying, "We won't go back tonight. Mom will take you out again tomorrow."

Keen nodded obediently. "Okay! I get to play with Mom again."

Hearing this, Haynes made no effort to persuade her to stay.

He was a smart man; some things didn't need to be spoken aloud for him to understand her intentions.

...

"Star, I'm jealous."

"I hate Haynes. Can you please stop seeing him?"