After leaving Israel''s vi, Ste asked, "Joshua, are you hurt? Should we go to the hospital for a check-up?"


    "No, Israel didn''t hurt me," Joshua replied.


    Ste wanted to ask how Israel had managed to capture him, but the words died on


    her lips.


    "As long as you''re okay," she said instead. "Williams Manor might not be safe anymore. Do you want to stay somewhere else for a while?"


    "There''s no need," Joshua said. "They have what they wanted. They shouldn''te after me again."


    Since Joshua insisted, Ste didn''t press the issue. Throughout the entire ordeal, she hadn''t shown the slightest hint of regret or distress about giving up the shares. It was as if she had handed over a cup of coffee, not a massive stake in a corporation.


    Joshua turned to look at the delicate profile of her fair face. "You must have had people in ce before you came," he said suddenly. "Why didn''t you send them in to storm the ce?"


    Ste kept her eyes on the road as she drove. "Since Israel chose to live-stream it, the shareholders would have never supported me again, even if I had sessfully rescued you. Besides, Israel might have resorted to even more vicious tactics to get my founding shares. And a violent conflict could have easily gotten someone hurt. He''s always held a grudge against you. There''s a chance he might have done something reckless to get what he wanted."


    Israel might not have harmed her, but Joshua... that was a different story.


    After a moment of silence, Joshua''s voice came from her side. "I''m sorry. You lost your shares because of me."


    Ste shook her head. "If it weren''t for the shares, they never would have kidnapped you. If anyone should be apologizing, it''s me. I''m the one who dragged you into this."


    Joshua''s gaze lingered on her face. Her expression was a little somber, but her eyes were clear and bright. It was obvious she wasn''t just saying what she thought he wanted to hear.


    "Don''t you suspect... that I was the one who leaked your trade secrets?" Joshua asked.


    Ste shook her head again. "It wasn''t you."


    "But I''m the most obvious person to me," he countered.


    "If you really wanted the founding shares," she said, "why would you have gone through so much trouble to help me build my strength and support me?"


    Joshua seemed about to say something else, but Ste spoke first. "Joshua, I''ve told you before. No matter what happens, I will always believe in you."


    Joshua fell silent, but his breathing grew just a bit faster. After a moment, his low, husky voice filled the car.


    "Star, thank you for believing in me."


    ...


    For the next two days, Israel was on


    top of the world. He walked with a


    spring in his step. Just as he''d expected, when Skyler and Jonathan found out they scolded him but didn''t demand he return the O founding shares to Ste. It was far too valuable an asset. After finally prying it from Ste''s hands, returning it was out of the question.


    However, given Ste''s history of cunning tricks, Israel didn''t let his guard down. His people were watching her around the clock, wary of any schemes she might be nning. To his surprise Ste quietly had the ten percent ofmon stock transferred to her


    name, seemingly resigned to her


    fate.


    A smile yed on Israel''s lips. Once Ste''s shares were in her ount, their transaction would beplete, and her founding shares would be transferred to his name immediately.


    As Israel was fantasizing about his future of power and influence, the phone on his desk suddenly rang. On the differ end, his assistant''s was filled with a panic that suggested the sky was falling.


    "Mr. Israel, bad news!"


    nice


    Israel, who was in a great mood, was annoyed by his assistant''s tone. "What is it? Why are you in such a panic?"


    His assistant''s voice wasced with disbelief. "There... there was a fire! Your share transfer agreements... they were destroyed in the fire!"