Simone had always seemed unppable, breezing through life as if nothing could ruffle her feathers. But now, days had gone by without so much as a glimpse of her—she hadn''t even been active in their group chat. It was odd, to say the least.


    Simone was never the type to stay quiet for long.


    Aurora felt it too. She''d tried reaching out, inviting Simone out a few times, but was turned down every time. At this point, she had no idea what was going on.


    "I''ll ask Simone about it when she gets here," Aurora said, her brows drawn together with concern.


    At that, Queenie seemed to remember something. "By the way, is Leonarding today?"


    Aurora hesitated for a moment before replying, "Ste will be at the party tonight too. I asked Leonard to sit this one out. There''s still some bad blood between them-no sense stirring things up."


    Queenie shook her head in admiration. "Aurora, I wish I had yourposure. If I were in your shoes, I don''t think I could be so calm. After all, her mother was responsible for your mother''s death."


    A shadow crossed Aurora''s face. "My mother''s death was just an ident. Maybe Ste''s mother had nothing to do with it. And, whatever happened, Ste herself is innocent. My father and my three brothers have always treated me well. People have to look ahead, not spend their lives trapped in old grudges."


    Queenie frowned slightly. "Butst time, when we were kidnapped by that oil tycoon, it may have been Ste''s doing a way to get at us without getting her hands dirty."


    Aurora''sshes fluttered. "My father exined all that. Ste wasn''t involved-it was just a case of mistaken identity with the oil tycoon and the financier. Ste didn''t set us up."


    "You''re too trusting, Aurora-" Queenie started to say, but Aurora cut her off.


    "All right, Queenie. It''s almost time-we should head downstairs. I invited Haynes as well; he''ll being tonight."


    At the mention of Haynes, Queenie''s eyes lit up. She''d never had the chance to properly meet him, and Aurora''s birthday party was the perfect opportunity.


    Queenie leaned in and hugged Aurora. "Thank you, Aurora. Really."<fnbdb1> Get full chapters from FindN0vel</fnbdb1>


    Aurora gave her a gentle smile. “Keen is my nephew, after all. It''s only natural to invite him. Besides, Haynes helped me out before I haven''t forgotten that."


    Thinking of Keen O''Brien, Aurora paused, a new thought surfacing. "Queenie, Haynes does have a child. Are you sure you''re okay with that? It''s one thing to ept a divorced man, but raising someone else''s child isn''t easy. Being a stepmom can be tough."  s


    Queenie justughed. "Honestly, I don''t even like kids, and I''m not nning on having any of my own. Getting to skip the hard part and be a mom already-what could be better?"


    Chatting andughing, the two of them made their way out of the room.


    Meanwhile, at the party, Ste wasn''t the guest of honor-there was no need for a grand entrance. She hadn''t tried to outshine Aurora either, choosing a simple dress that didn''t draw attention.


    Still, the moment she arrived, all eyes were on her. With looks that rivaled Aurora''s, she was hard to ignore.


    "Star."


    A tall, striking man was making his way toward her, his long strides carrying him through the crowd with effortless grace. He was handsome, with an air of cool detachment that seemed to draw people in like moths to a me. As he passed more than a few socialites couldn''t help but turn and stare.  s


    Ste couldn''t help thinking of her recent run-in with Queenie at the hospital. This man really did attract trouble. He hadn''t even sorted things


    outwith Rachel, and now


    Queenie


    was in the mix. Good thing the


    divorce was final; otherwise, she had


    no idea how long the drama


    would''ve dragged on.  s


    Her thoughts were interrupted when Joshua, behind her, suddenly reached out


    and steadied her.


    "Careful, Star."