The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 77

Jasper smirked with smugness. "Dealing with someone like Stella, who's got no steady income, is a piece of cake."

"Haynie, let's leave Stella in the cold for a few days. Then, I'll figure out a few tricks to make her come crawling back."

Haynes ignored Jasper and turned his attention to Rachel instead. "Rachel, you fell down the stairs accidentally. Why didn't you tell us?"

A flicker of panic crossed Rachel's eyes. Haynes wasn't as easy to fool as Jasper and Keen. He had a knack for seeing through people's facades.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Haynes. "I thought Ms. Cameron was coming to apologize to Keen and you, so I wanted to take her to see you guys..."

"I might have gotten too eager and reached out to Ms. Cameron. I'm unsure if she shook me off or if I lost my footing and fell..."

Jasper interjected, "Haynie, Rachel was trying to help. The video shows Rachel trying to bring Stella to you guys. And Rachel never said it was Stella's fault."

He paused, whispering, "Keen even said it was Stella. Who would doubt that? Besides, Stella's always picking on Rachel. If people misunderstand her, isn't that Stella's own doing?"

Seeing where it was going, Keen lowered his head. "Dad, I'm sorry. I must have made a mistake."

Rachel quickly added, "Haynie, Keen's still young. It's normal for him to make mistakes. If you need to blame someone, blame me. I shouldn't have approached Ms. Cameron..."

Rachel looked at Haynes pleadingly. "Haynie, I've been punished enough. Please don't blame Keen, okay?"

Keen watched Rachel take the blame upon herself, feeling grateful and a little resentful.

Of course, Rachel was the kind one. His mom, on the other hand, seemed to relish pushing his buttons. What he didn’t realize was that Rachel had skillfully redirected the blame onto him, neatly stepping away from the mess.