The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 173

"Or maybe I can postpone the show for a bit and have someone bring you a new dress," Haynes suggested, trying to keep the peace.

Stella's expression was icy and sarcastic. "The dress I'm wearing matches Marvin's show outfit. Haynes, the competition takes priority. Rachel's little... accident?" A deliberate pause. "That reckoning will come."

Haynes looked like he wanted to say something but held back, his face hardening. "I'll pay you ten times the dress's cost," he finally said quietly.

Stella couldn't help but laugh. "Do you think I'm so broke I can't afford a dress?"

Haynes's gaze was intense. "Or you can name your price."

Stella glanced around at the onlookers. There were so many people here, and if she really named a price, she couldn't imagine how Jasper and the O'Brien family would spin it.

Even now, she felt the weight of their stares—their expressions shifting from curiosity to quiet judgment. The whispers? Those she could endure. But she didn't want Marvin to be affected by her reputation. If word got out that she was money-hungry, it might affect Marvin's friendships at preschool.

With a wry smile, Stella said, "Haynes, as my husband, it's one thing not to back me up, but to publicly ask for a price? What are you trying to say, that I'm a gold-digger?"

Haynes's eyes flickered. "That's not what I meant. I just want to solve the problem."

Although it's often said not to air dirty laundry in public, Stella had already fallen out with Haynes and the O'Brien family, so she didn't hold back.

"If you really want to solve the problem, why not have someone bring Rachel a new dress instead of me?"