Joshua said, "What I''m after is exactly what you once tossed aside like yesterday''s news."


    The words hit Haynes like a punch to the chest, sharp and unrelenting.


    What he''d thrown away so carelessly, long ago, was Ste''s unwavering love for him.


    He couldn''t muster a single word of mockery in response.


    Because that, too, was something he''d once held in his hands and now could never get back.


    He was the one who''d let it slip away.


    Expressionless, Haynes turned to leave, but Joshua''s voice sounded behind him


    again.


    "Haynes, when you were with her, you couldn''t give her what she needed. You couldn''t protect her. If it weren''t for your failures, she''d still be pursuing her passion for the violin, not walking alone into this mess. If you can''t be there for her, then let me. As long as I''m around, I''ll never let her get hurt or humiliated."


    Haynes closed his eyes, just for a moment.


    He couldn''t deny it-if he hadn''t been deceived by Rachel Pearce, he and Ste would never have divorced. Ste would never have needed to go back to her family. She could have picked up her violin whenever her heart desired, instead of now-forced to leave behind what she loved, pushed into a world of business and cold calctions, forced to start over.


    He said quietly, "You didn''te all this way just to tell me that, did you?"


    Joshua replied, "Mr. O''Brien, you''re a smart man. I''m sure you''ve already guessed. Otherwise, with everything going wrong at the Richards Group, you wouldn''t be waiting to make your move."


    Haynes fell silent.


    He''d already suspected Foreman had feelings for Ste. It didn''t surprise him. After all, Ste was remarkable; it was only natural someone would fall for her.


    But his real suspicionsy elsewhere.


    The circumstances of hisa had always seemed off-like someone close to him had orchestrated it. Once the seed of doubt was nted, he began to see signs everywhere.


    He remembered Ste confronting him, using him of spreading malicious rumors about Joshua


    online and even of trying to haven et


    Joshua killed in a staged car


    ident. He''d never been able to trace the source of Ste''s misunderstanding-he''d always thought Joshua was simply too cunning.  s


    He''d never once suspected Foreman, his closest friend.


    But if Foreman really had been behind it all, then everything suddenly made perfect sense.


    Still, suspicion wasn''t proof.


    What if it was Joshua pulling strings, deliberately turning him and Foreman against each other?


    Either way, a rift had grown between him and Foreman now-one that could never be bridged again.


    ***


    In Leonard''s office, Israel sat on the couch, pouring himself a cup of tea.


    "Leonard, I''m honestly surprised you called it. The person ckmailing Simone Lexman really was someone close to Ste. It''s always the quiet ones huh? Who''d have thought Ste would be ruthless enough to send Foreman to ruin Simone?”  s


    At first, Leonard had only suspected that someone in Ste''s circle was behind Simone''s troubles, but he hadn''t know exactly who. So he''d pretended not to notice Simones actions, letting her continue passing along confidential documents.  s


    Not long ago, he''d deliberately left a loophole in The Lerman Group''s operations —a trap, just waiting to be sprung. Whoever exploited that w and orchestrated Simone''s kidnapping would reveal themselves.<fnb82a> The source of th?s content is f?ndnovel</fnb82a>


    Sure enough, Foreman had walked right into the snare Leonard had set.


    With that, Simone was able to pinpoint the real culprit and adjust her ns to deal Foreman a crushing blow.


    A cold, calcting glint flickered in Leonard''s eyes.