After Joshua left, Simone strolled over to Ste, greeting her with a bright smile.


    It didn''t take long for her to change the subject.


    "Ms. Cameron, I have to admit I''m quite interested in your assistant, Joshua. Would you mind terribly if I tried to recruit him away from you?"


    Ste''s reply was calm. "If you think you can lure Joshua away, I won''t stand in your way. He''s free to leave whenever he wishes. I wouldn''t try to hold him back."


    Simone watched Joshua''s silhouette disappear down the path. "But from what I can see, he doesn''t seem eager to leave you."


    "That''s not something I can control," Ste answered quietly.


    Simone turned back, still wearing that warm, easy smile.


    "I offered him three times his current sry, but Joshua still refused to join me. Clearly, staying by your side matters more to him than money. You must have quite the maic personality, Ms. Cameron."


    Ste shrugged. "Money isn''t everything. Maybe it just doesn''t mean as much to him as you''d expect."


    Simone nodded in agreement. "He''s won even more of my respect now."


    Truth be told, Ste barely knew Joshua, and she wasn''t any closer to Simone. Unsure how to respond, she muttered a vague acknowledgment and let the conversationpse.


    Simone was more outgoing than Aurora, though, and took the initiative to keep chatting.


    "Ms. Cameron, Mr. Williams and Aurora came all the way to New Vespera to bring you back to the Williams family. Any idea when you''ll be returning?"


    Ste nced at her. "My friends and my career are all here in New Vespera. I have no ns to leave, at least for now."


    Simone smiled again. "You know, there are real advantages toing home. You''d never have to worry about money orfort, and the resources at your disposal would be endless. Just look at Aurora-"


    She gestured toward Aurora, who was horseback riding and practicing archery in the distance. "She''s had the best education since childhood, and with her family paving the way, her career''s been nothing but smooth sailing."


    Leaning in, Simone lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Do you know why Aurora still isn''t engaged?"


    Ste and Aurora were never


    destined to be close-there were too many differences between them. Still, Ste had never gone out of her way tomake things difficult for her, even though Aurora had always been the one to win their father''s and brother''s affection.


    But Ste had long since stopped caring. With no expectations, there was nothing


    left to be disappointed about.


    Still, Simone''s words piqued her curiosity. "Why?"


    "Because Aurora stands to gain more by not settling down," Simone confided. "Her name is known throughout the city, and there''s no shortage of men lining up to ask for her hand. Many powerful families have sought close alliances with the Williams family just for the chance to marry her-including the Burtons and the Lermans. And honestly, Aurora is so aplished that very few are truly worthy of her."


    She nced back at Ste. "Even my own brother doesn''t quite make the cut, in my opinion."


    Ste knew Aurora was exceptional-there was a reason Skyler, Jonathan, and the rest of the Williams brothers valued her so highly.


    Simone went on, "Aurora is


    ambitious and capable. If she weren''t a woman, she could easily take


    er the Williams Group one


    day. But Mr. Williams won''t allow it-he insists she study music instead, wasting her true talents."


    Ste shook her head gently. "Reaching the top in any field is no small feat. When


    you stand at the summit, the achievements you earn aren''t necessarily less meaningful than sess in business."


    Simone countered, "Maybe so, but if we''re talking about making money, music doesn''te close."


    Ste turned to face her. "Is money really the only measure of sess?"