Standing in the crowd, Leonard watched the young heirs apologize. The whispers of the onlookers echoed in his ears, and he remembered his own recent humiliation.


    When he had entered the g, Aurora might not have noticed the gossip, which was understandable. Butter, when those young punks had blocked his path on his way to her, she had definitely seen it. They had pestered him all the way until he stood right in front of her. At the time, she had only gently chided them, telling them not to make things difficult and exining that they had misunderstood, that he wasn''t forcing her to do anything. Then, she had simply let them leave.


    Before witnessing this scene with Ste, it had never urred to Leonard to expect Aurora to stand up for him. He had thought her even speaking up for him was a sign that she cared. But now, that fleeting sense of gratitude felt like a cruel joke.


    Ste seemed oblivious to the surrounding chatter. Once the apologies were done, she turned to Joshua. "Joshua, is there anything else you require?"


    Joshua''s eyes shimmered like a starlitke, rippling with emotion. "No, that''s all." Only then did Ste dismiss the young men, who fled as if their lives depended on it. After they were gone, Joshua looked at Ste, his voice unusually hoarse. "Star, thank you."


    Ste offered a faint smile. "There''s no need for such formalities between us."


    "It was just a few insults," Joshua said. "I don''t care about things like that. Besides..." He nced at the gossiping crowd. "There was no need to cause such a scene and tarnish your own reputation for my sake."


    With his sharp hearing, Joshua had caught every word they said.


    But Ste was unconcerned. "I invited you here, so it''s my duty to make sure you aren''t bullied. If I had let it slide today, they would only be more brazen in the future." Her voice softened. "Joshua, you''ve always been the one protecting me. Now, it''s my turn to protect you. If I stood by and did nothing while you were being wronged, I''d be the nex person they''dugh at. Besides, my reputation means nothing to me anymore. I don''t care about it."


    Ste was well aware that her divorce and the fact that she had a child had long made her the subject of gossip. Unlike the rest of the Williams family, she


    idn''t ce much value on her public image. Without that burden, she felt free to do as she pleased. What did a bad name matter if it meant she could protect the people she cared about?


    To the Joshua of the past, such protection would have been trivial, perhaps evenughable. But now, he felt a dizzying sensation, as if he were walking on clouds. Logic fold him he should be teaching Ste how to manage her subordinates, but the feeling of being defended was so intoxicating that even his legendary self-control crumbled.


    When they returned to the main ballroom, people looked at them with a newfound, subtle curiosity. Both Ste and Joshua ignored the stares,pletely unfazed.


    Across the room, Joshua spotted the same young heirs who had given him trouble earlier. Perhaps it was his good mood, but he found that they almost looked endearing now.