Israel scoffed inwardly. What a load of nonsense-talk is cheap, after all.


    Yet Aurora, Simone, and Leonard all knew Joshua wasn''t just blowing smoke. Other families might balk at coughing up that kind of money, but the Gardners? For them, it was pocket change. The Gardners were, after all, the wealthiest family in the world.


    Aurora spoke up, trying to bring the conversation back on track. "Guys, let''s not get sidetracked. We''re supposed to be discussing Leonard and Star right now."


    If they actually took Joshua up on that bet, her brothers wouldn''t stand a chance. That thought made a shadow of doubt flicker in Aurora''s eyes. She shot Leonard a sidelong nce; he nced back. The look they exchanged was brief but knowing, a silent agreement passing between them.


    Aurora''s mind wandered back to a question that had been bothering her for a while: why did Joshua keep so close to Ste? Simone had already reced Ste as his so-called soulmate, so what reason did he have to stick around? No matter how she turned it over in her mind, Aurora couldn''t make sense of it.


    She certainly didn''t believe Joshua was interested in Ste. It wasn''t just the fact that Ste was divorced-she also had a child. A man like Joshua could have any woman he wanted; why would he choose Ste? No, there had to be another reason for his attention. And now, it seemed that reason was finally clear.


    Perhaps Joshua intended to use Ste as a way to acquire shares in the Williams family business. That would exin why he was staying close, even after moving on from her.


    Simone seemed to reach the same conclusion. Her eyes lit up, the gloom from before vanishing in an instant. As long as Joshua''s interest in Ste wasn''t romantic, Simone could ept any other motive. If Joshua wanted to buy into the Williams Group-well, that just meant he was ambitious, driven. Simone admired him all the more for it.


    She didn''t feel guilty about Aurora''s situation, either. Once she married Joshua, she would simply ask him to return those shares to Aurora. Without Joshua''s help, the old guard at the Williams Group would never let Aurora take charge. With them in the way, Aurora''s dream of running thepany solo was next to impossible. In the end, Simone reasoned, Aurora might even thank her for it.


    The more she thought about it, the more pleased Simone became, already daydreaming about a future where she had it all: friendship, love, and sess.


    Israel and Coleman, meanwhile,


    badly wanted Ste to hand over her original shares. But even they realized that gambling over it was far to childish-something people wouldugh about for years Better to use the situation with Leonard to pressure Ste into making concessions. If they wanted to buy her out, they''d have to offer her something in return. After all, no one here was a fool.


    Ste listened quietly as Joshua and the others talked, her face unreadable, but inside, her thoughts whirled. Was Joshua actually holding evidence, or was he just ying mind games with Leonard and the rest?


    She stole a nce at Leonard. His eyes narrowed, and he didn''t say a word right away-clearly, he was unsettled. Ste found it odd. Could a few words from Joshua really shake Leonard like this?


    Skyler rubbed his temples, looking exasperated. "You''re all talking in circles. It''s impossible to tell who''s telling the truth. Star and Leonard do have some history, so I can''t rule out the possibility that Leonard would kidnap her."


    His words hung in the air, carefully bnced. He admitted Leonard might be guilty, but he also implied Ste could be framing him. Given their history, anything was possible.


    Simone quickly recovered her


    simple: whoever makes an


    ет


    usation has to provide proof. My brother is the head of the Lerman family. If the Williams familycan''t produce solid evidence showing he kidnapped Ste, then Ste''s actions-pping my brother, dousing him with wine, and using him publicly-won''t be swept under the rug so easily."