As soon as Marvin''s name was mentioned, Keen''s face tensed.


    "That troublemaker... he''s in Solmaris too?"


    Foreman inclined his head with a subtle nod.


    Keen sprang to his feet. "Mr. Richards, I miss my mom. Can you take me to her?"


    A faint, nearly imperceptible smile yed at the corners of Foreman''s mouth.


    He put on a show of reluctance. "But Joshua told me not to let you wander around. If anything happens to you, I''ll be the one to me."


    Keen pleaded, "I''ll stick with my mom the whole time, I promise! Mr. Richards, don''t worry. It''s me insisting you take me if anything happens, it''s not your fault."


    Foreman finally nodded in agreement.<fnce19> The rightful source is fin?novel</fnce19>


    "All right, I''ll take you to her."


    ...


    At the party, sses clinked andughter filled the air.


    Aurora, the reigning queen of high society, was in a league of her own. Despite the rumors swirling around hertely, joining the Williams Group had catapulted her right back into the center of attention-everyone was eager to be seen by her side.


    No longer were her admirers limited to hopeful suitors; tonight, a crowd of socialites and businesspeople vied for her attention. Aurora was busier than ever, and even Skyler and his son found themselves surrounded by an eager throng. Israel, usually short-tempered and abrasive, was suddenly the picture of charm and sophistication in front of Ste.


    Ste herself rarely attended these kinds of events; she never cared much forrge gatherings. Aurora had already finished cutting the cake, and as tonight''s true star, Aurora''s presence overshadowed everyone else''s. Ste knew no one would notice if she slipped away.


    Her thoughts drifted to Keen. She turned to Joshua and said, "Let''s go check on Keen."


    "Sure," Joshua replied.


    They had just started to leave when a slender figure suddenly stepped in front of them.


    Ste looked up in surprise-Simone.


    It struck Ste then: she hadn''t seen


    Stet


    Simone in ages. Thest time had been the day Aurora was kidnapped-Simone had been taken too. And yet, Ste recalled, Leonard had shown up at the Williams house that day Simone was his own sister but he hadn''t gone to rescue her himself.  s


    "Ms. Cameron. Joshua." Simone greeted them with her usual polite, distant smile.


    Yet something about her seemed


    different now. The lively spark in her


    eyes was gone, reced by


    shadow as if storm clouds Had


    dimmed her gaze. There was an


    unsettling chill about her.


    belongs to s


    Ste discreetly looked Simone over. She couldn''t spot any obvious injuries. She


    wondered if the kidnappers had hurt her at all.


    "Is there something you need, Miss Lerman?" Ste asked.


    Simone replied, "Ms. Cameron, could I borrow Joshua for a few minutes? I''d like to speak with him alone."


    Before Ste could answer, Joshua


    cut in. "Miss Lerman, I''m still free to


    make my own choices. If you want. talk to me just ask I''m not some


    object to be passed around."


    s


    Simone paused for a second. "You''re right. That was thoughtless of me."


    She turned her gaze to Joshua. Only when she looked at him did her eyes regain


    a trace of warmth, her voice unconsciously softening.


    "Joshua, could we talk? Just for a moment?"


    Joshua refused without hesitation. "Sorry. I have to look after Star-I don''t have time for a chat."


    "Just a few minutes," Simone insisted.


    Joshua said, “A few minutes is all it takes for someone to get kidnapped, isn''t it?”


    As Ste and Joshua walked away, Simone''s eyes burned with a mix of jealousy and bitterness.


    Yes, it was just a few minutes—and that was all it took for her to be taken.