The hotel''s exterior glittered like a pce. Ste had a keen eye for quality and could tell at a nce that the golden architecture and ornaments were all crafted from solid gold.


    Before arriving, Ste had done some brief research. This was, without a doubt, the most luxurious hotel in the world. Rumor had it that a staggering thirty tons of gold had been used in its construction.


    Ste couldn''t help but remark, "The Gardners really live up to their reputation as the wealthiest family in the world. Their financial power is astonishing. I thought the Williams family was rich, but this just proves there''s always a bigger fish in the sea."


    Joshua nced over casually. "This ce is just built to be shy, to attract guests. The Gardner family''s private ind... that''s where the real treasures are."


    Ste looked at him, surprised. "Joshua, you seem to know a lot about the Gardners." She paused, a sudden thought striking her. Hisst name was also Gardner. Could it be... was he connected to the Gardner family? Or was he one of them? It seemed too much of a coincidence.


    Joshua noticed the change in her expression. "Star, is there something you want to ask?"


    This time, Ste nodded honestly. "Yourst name is Gardner, and you know so much about the family. Are you... one of them?"


    Joshua nodded. "Yes, I am."


    Ste hadn''t expected him to admit it so readily. She was surprised at first, but she quickly epted it. She had long suspected that with his skills, knowledge, and demeanor, he was no ordinary person.


    Ste said, "No wonder Grandma Connolly mentioned that all the Gardners are blessed with good looks and exceptional intelligence."


    Joshua''s dark eyes deepened. "She talked to you about the Gardners?"


    Since Joshua was one of them, Ste saw no reason to hide it. "Grandma Connolly told me that Neville Connolly''s sister was once in love with a man from the Gardner family."


    Joshua raised an eyebrow. "Neville''s sister?"


    Ste replied, "Her name was ine Connolly. Have you heard of her?"


    Joshua thought for a moment. "The name doesn''t ring a bell. What was the name of the Gardner she was with?"


    Ste said, "Grandma Connolly didn''t say." It was clear from the way Grandma Connolly spoke that she held a deep dislike for the Gardners.


    Joshua said, "There are a lot of


    Gardners. Without a name, it''s hard to know whose wife she was. But..." He looked at Ste. "When did she dje? A death isn''t a minor event, there would have been whispers."


    Ste was silent.


    Using death to identify someone... what kind of family were the Gardners?


    Ste thought for a few seconds before replying, "Miss Connolly died about three years ago. ording to Grandma Connolly, not long before she passed, the Gardner man she was with died by suicide."


    Joshua lowered his gaze, lost in thought for a moment. "Three years ago, a core member of the Gardner family did die by suicide. His name was Quincy Gardner, and he had a three-year-old child. Quincy left a will stipting that the child was to be raised by the mothers family and that no one was to interfere. So the child was taken away by her family, and we never heard from them again."


    Ste asked, "This Quincy... he was a core member? Do you know why he killed himself?"


    "Not really," Joshua said. "If you''re curious, I can ask around for you.''


    Ste assumed this was a secret only core members would know. Although Joshua was a Gardner, he probably wasn''t part of the inner circle Otherwise, he wouldn''t have the time to be working for hen Hearing his offer, she quickly said, "No, it''s okay. I was just asking casually."


    But then Joshua''s tone shifted. "However..."