Ste couldn''t be bothered to exin herself to a man like Leonard.


    "Mr. Lerman," she said icily, "instead of worrying about other people''s hobbies, perhaps you should worry about your own hand. While I can no longer y the violin, I have no trouble painting. As for you..."


    Her eyes dropped to his empty sleeve. "I imagine you can''t paint at all anymore, can you?"


    Leonard''s passion for painting was no secret.


    His eyes flickered. "Oh? So you know I''m left-handed?"


    Only those closest to him knew. In public, he always used his right hand, but he was naturally left-handed. Joshua must have known that when he severed his left arm.


    "Your right hand was injured years ago, Mr. Lerman, and now your left is gone," Ste said, her voice t. "You can''t even drive a car anymore. You''ll be lucky to manage basic daily tasks. Have you ever heard the saying, ''What goes around,es around''?"


    Leonard didn''t get angry. Instead, he stared at her with renewed interest. "If karma is real, Joshua should be the first to face it. And look, for all his sins, he''s now wasting away in a hospital bed. As for me..."


    He held up his empty sleeve. "With modern technology, what''s a missing arm? My new prosthetic is already being made. I''m sorry to disappoint you, Ms. Cameron, but my life won''t be affected in the slightest."


    Ste offered a faint smile. "But you


    can never pick up your passion again, can you? No matter how advanced your prosthetic is, it will never be your real arm. That''s gone forever. Leonard, now you know what it feels like to have something precious stolen from you. But I''m afraid this is only the beginning."


    Leonard''s eyes grew cold. "The beginning? Are you saying you want me dead?"


    "I''m not like you, Mr. Lerman, threatening to kill people at every turn," she said. "Aren''t you the expert in torture? Don''t you know that a fate worse than death is the cruelest torment of all?"


    His gaze turned venomous, like a striking snake. A wicked grin spread across his face. "You''re right. A fate worse than death is the cruelest torment of all."


    Done with the conversation, Ste turned and walked into the hospital. Leonard, barred from entry, watched her go, his eyes as cold as ice.


    The encounter left a bad taste in her mouth. As she rode the elevator up, she called her security team and ordered them to tighten their watch on the hospital, especially Joshua''s floor Other than essential medical staff, Harold, and Jake, no one-not even Haynes-was to be allowed in without her express permission.


    Thinking of Haynes brought another person to mind: Foreman. She hadn''t seen him at the hospital since that day, Ste desperately wanted to ask him why he had lied, why he had stood by and done nothing, leaving Joshua to die. But between caring for Joshua, managing her work, and checking on Keen daily, she had no time. As much as she wanted answers, Joshua was her priority.


    Mulling over Foreman''s betrayal, Ste walked toward the hospital room.