"It''s the love you have for a friend," Ste rified.


    Hearing this, Joshua''s expression softened slightly. No matter how special Neville was, Ste''s feelings for him were purely tonic. The ''friend card'' was as good as a death sentence. Still, this situation could be a good opportunity to make Neville give up for good. A dark glint flickered in Joshua''s eyes.


    ***


    The next day, Ste went to the office for a meeting, leaving Harold to look after Joshua at the hospital. Harold dutifully reported his findings from the investigation Joshua had assigned him.


    "Old Mrs. Connolly really doesn''t have much time left. Six months at the absolute most. That''s why she was arranging so many blind dates for Neville recently."


    In terms of character, Neville was worthy of Ste''s trust. At least he wasn''t the type to deceive her to get what he wanted. As for why he chose Ste when he could have asked any other woman... the reason was obvious. It was understandable that he would want to use this opportunity to grow closer to her and cultivate their rtionship.


    "Good thing Neville isn''t as devious as Foreman," Harold added. "If it were Foreman, he''d probably try to pressure Ste into a real marriage."


    "If Neville were that kind of person, Star wouldn''t trust him sopletely," Joshua said coolly. "Which means Foreman is no real threat."


    "Do you think Ms. Cameron suspects Foreman now that the operation was leaked?" Harold asked.


    Joshua nodded. "The only ones who could have known were Aicken and Foreman. But Star isn''t the type to make usations without proof. She''s likely suspicious of them, even if she hasn''t said anything."


    Harold sighed. "Foreman is just so cunning, and he never leaves a trace. Plus, he''s yed the victim card with Ms. Cameron so many times... She probably doesn''t want to believe he''s the traitor."


    "He''s known Star for years, yet he''s aplished less than Neville has in a few months," Joshua said with a sneer. "His methods are mediocre at best." He nced at Harold. "Leak the news that Star is Neville''s fiancée to Foreman. He''ll make a move."


    A glint appeared in Harold''s eyes. "Understood, sir."


    With his resources, Joshua could have easily dealt with Neville himself.


    The reason he didn''t was that he was concerned about how Ste would react to the truth; it would put her in a difficult, perhaps unbearable, position. Joshua''s methods... they were no longer as sharp as they once were. The old Joshua would have never shown mercy to an enemy, let alone relied on someone else to do his dirty work.


    A flicker of worry crossed Harold''s mind. For Joshua, this change was both a blessing and a curse. The good news was that he was bing less ruthless, more human. The bad news was that Ste was bing his weakness, his Achilles'' heel.


    ***


    Ste quickly disposed of Leonard''s stolen shipment. She sold it not just to anyone, but to a distant cousin of the Lerman family, and at a price well below market value. This particr rtive had been trying for year''s to curry favor with the main Lerman family but was notoriously ipetent and tactless, and was generally despised by them.


    Suddenly receiving such a lucrative deal from the family, he was ecstatic. He immediately began boasting about it, making sure everyone knew of his close ties to the Lermans. He even started throwing the Lerman name around to get his way burning bridges and breaking promises left and right. In a short time, the Lerman family''s reputation was in tatters. <fn9b92> Official source is find{n}ovel</fn9b92>


    On the phone Antoney Watson couldn''t hide the amusement in his voice. "I heard Leonard coughed up blood when he found out. For all his ruthlessness, Leonard always valued his business reputation. After all, no one wants to work with someone who doesn''t honor their word. That cousin of his managed to destroy decades of the Lerman family''s credibility in just one month."