Foreman was good at one thing: being meticulous about crucial matters, leaving no evidence behind. While Joshua had proof of some of Foreman''s actions, they were all minor infractions that could be easily exined away. He wasn''t about to risk his standing with Ste over trivialities.


    Besides, Foreman''s facade was nearly perfect. Abby, Antoney, Keen—they all saw him as a gentle, cultured, and kind man. Even his own best friend, Haynes, had only recently grown suspicious of him. Exposing Foreman''s true nature was, for the moment, impossible.


    But Joshua wasn''t in a hurry. He had nothing but time. He wasn''t interested in maybes or possibilities; he wanted a kill shot.


    For now, though, riling Foreman up was proving to be quite entertaining.


    Hearing Joshua''s provocations, Foreman finally lost hisposure.


    He lunged forward and grabbed Joshua by the cor. "You think you''re worthy of her?"


    How much effort had he poured into securing a ce in Ste''s heart? He''d staged so many incidents, yed the victim time and again, just to earn her trust. He knew she''d been hurt by Haynes before, and getting close to her wasn''t going to be easy. He had to be better than Haynes, treat her better than Haynes ever did. Otherwise, why would she ever choose him?


    He had been working toward that goal all this time, but he never expected a scoundrel like Joshua to appear out of nowhere and ruin everything.


    Joshua''s arrogance was tant. "That''s right. Just me. Surely you know what it means when a woman epts a rose from a man?"


    He nced at the rose on the bedside table. "Star''s favorite flower is baby''s breath; she was never that fond of roses. But this one... she loves this one. She even said it would be a shame to let a flower I worked so hard to pick for her just wither away. She''s nning to have it preserved so she can keep it on her desk at the office and look at it every day..."


    Foreman was usually a man of immense self-control, but after so many piercing words, he finally snapped. He swiped the vase off the bedside table.


    *Crash!*


    The vase hit the floor, shattering into pieces with a sharp crack.<fn98be> Latest content published on </fn98be>


    At that exact moment, the door to the room was thrown open.


    "Joshua, what happened?"


    Ste froze, taking in the scene before her: Foreman clutching Joshua''s cor, a shattered vase on the floor.


    Foreman froze as well, the sight of


    her like a bucket of ice watert


    dousing his ragette opened


    mouth, instinctively trying to exin.  s


    "Star, I..."


    But before he could finish, another voice cut him off.


    "Star, Mr. Richards is right. I was useless. failed to rescue Abby, and all I did was get myself hurt. Instead of helping you with your burdens, I''ve just be another one for you to take care of.  s


    Joshua''s expression grew somber.


    "It''s only right that Mr. Richards thinks I''m useless. I didn''t do my job properly."


    Ste walked into the room, carrying a bowl of freshly made broth that filled the air with a warm, savory scent. She nced at Foreman, and though it seemed she wanted to say something, the words of reprimand died on her lips.  s


    "Foreman," she said softly, "what happened wasn''t Joshua''s fault. He did everything he could."