She''d been convinced that Lind was the one hired to carry out the kidnapping.


    Turns out, Lind was actually someone Joshua had switched in.


    No wonder he seemed to know everything—and even went out of his way to warn Ste.


    Rachel fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Still, I think getting rid of Ste is the best option. Joshua, wasn''t that your idea in the first ce? Why are you changing your mind now?"


    She stared at him intently, her gaze unwavering. "Don''t tell me... you''ve fallen for Ste?"


    Joshua lifted a brow, countering, "And why would I fall for her?"


    Rachel faltered, but finally admitted, “Because... she''s prettier than I am.”


    Joshua replied tly, "There are plenty of women more attractive than you. Do you expect me to fall for all of them?"


    Rachel didn''t respond.


    If she truly was the person Joshua had been searching for, she wouldn''t be this anxious and insecure.


    But the truth was... she wasn''t the one he was looking for at all.


    That''s why she was so desperate to get rid of Ste.


    Rachel shifted the subject. "There''s something else-Lind warned Ste, told her this kidnapping had something to do with me. What was that about? Is he trying to throw me under the bus?"


    Joshua answered, "I told him to say it."


    Rachel stared at him in disbelief. "Why would you do that? Now Ste''s going to suspect me!"


    Joshua shot her a nce. "Do you really think that keeping her in the dark means she won''t get suspicious? Lind has a grudge against Haynes-so why send Haynes''s ex-wife to pay the ransom? Why would Lind kill his enemy''s ex-wife, but not Haynes himself? For revenge? To make Haynes suffer? But if their rtionship was so close, why did they get divorced? Or is it..."


    Joshua paused, his voice lowering. "Are you nning to get rid of Keen as well?"


    Rachel opened her mouth, but no words came out.


    She hadn''t intended to harm Keen. If Haynes''s only child ended up dead, and if Haynes really lost his mind


    and went after Lind with event


    he had she''d be caught in the crossfire. There was nothing to gain—she might even be exposed herself.


    Rachel lowered her head. "I... I didn''t think that far ahead."


    Joshua said, "Even if Ste finds out, she has no proof. You don''t need to worry. Besides, my main goal in all this was to see if she was clever enough to put the pieces together. She didn''t let me down."


    Rachel waspletely lost. "Why do you care about that?"


    For a brief moment, Joshua''s dark eyes turned almost unfathomable. A sly,


    enigmatic smile curled on his lips.


    "Because I''ve already found a way to help you deal with her."


    Rachel''s eyes lit up instantly. "Really? What''s the n?"


    Joshua put a finger to his lips, feigning secrecy. "That''s for me to know for now. Treat it as a surprise."


    Rachel was both frustrated and


    anxious that Joshua had turned the


    n from a clean elimination to a


    risky game. But seeing the


    confidence in his eyes, a wave of


    hope surged through her.


    Nobody knew Joshua''s methods better than she did. If he put his mind to it,


    getting rid of Ste would be almost effortless.


    "All right," Rachel finally managed a smile. "I''ll wait for your surprise."


    Joshua checked his watch, then stood and left.


    As he reached the ground floor, Jasper appeared, justing in with a bag of takeout lunch.


    Joshua walked past him as if he hadn''t even noticed.


    But Jasper suddenly stopped, as if something had just urred to him.


    "Hey-you! Hold on a second!"