Simone faltered. "If not Ste, then... Joshua?"


    "Exactly," Leonard confirmed. "His target is Joshua."


    Simone frowned. "But everything that''s happened recently has clearly been aimed at Ste."


    Leonard said lightly, "Leaking the ''fake heiress'' story at the party was a smokescreen from Sellers, but it also killed two birds with one stone."


    Simone''s confusion was evident. "Two birds with one stone? The n seemed transparent and crude. Shouldn''t the Camerons have been the ones humiliated?"


    Leonard exined, "The Williams family choosing not to believe it was one oue. Them choosing to believe it was another. Who could guarantee they would side with Ste?"


    Simone froze for a few seconds, then it clicked. Sellers was gambling on whether the Williams family would turn on Ste for their own benefit.


    If they did, the Williams and Cameron families would scramble to seize her shares, perhaps even challenge the will on public policy grounds, putting Ste in a very vulnerable position.


    "But Sellers lost the bet," Simone said. "The Williams family didn''t abandon Ste."


    Leonard countered, "They didn''t abandon her because they didn''t want to look greedy and lose face publicly. What if Ste had powerful evidence? Their ugly ambition would have been exposed to the world."


    Simone nodded thoughtfully. "You said the n killed two birds with one stone. What was the other objective?"


    A cold smile touched Leonard''s lips. "True or not, there are always fools—or clever people willing to believe a useful rumor."


    Simone was confused again. "What do you mean? I understand why fools would believe a rumor. But clever people?"


    Leonard gazed in the direction of Ste''s office, his eyes dark. "Whether Ste is the real heiress notis irrelevant What matters is that clever people know when to fan the mes. And now, the opportunity has presented itself, hasn''t it?"


    Simone still didn''t get it. "Brother, you said Sellers was after Joshua, but all this is happening to Ste."


    Leonard borated, "Sellers leaked


    BUT


    the ''fake heiress'' story toy the groundwork. The Williams Group''s secrets get leaked, orders are canceled, the stock price tumbles, and then a story breaks about Ste''s affair with her assistant. Just nów, Ste skipped a board meeting to see Joshua after his ''ident. Whether Joshua is the leak or not, he''s now perceived as a liability to the Williams Group. Thepany can''t tolerate him. They will pressure Ste, force her to choose between thepany and him."


    A cryptic smile yed on Leonard''s lips. "Sellers is really ying for keeps. To spend so much money just to drive a wedge between Ste and Joshua, to cut off her support... it''s quite a spectacle."


    Simone pursed her lips. "Aurora''s schemes are certainly impressive."


    "Aurora is, at most, forty percent of Sellers''s motivation," Leonard corrected. "Arge part of that forty percent is his belief that Aurora controlling the Williams


    benefit him. The family would


    sixty


    percent..." He scoffed. "...is likely for his own reasons."


    Simone was puzzled. "His own reasons? What reasons?"


    "You''d have to ask Sellers himself," Leonard said.


    Ste rushed to the hospital. As she entered the lobby, she saw Manager Crawford walking toward her.


    Ste stopped in her tracks. "Manager Crawford, you''re... okay?"