Although Abby desperately wanted to spend the night and continue her exploration


    in the morning, she could see Ste''s spirits were low. She knew this was a hurdle Ste had to ovee on her own time.


    "Star, let''s go back," she said gently.


    "Okay," Ste agreed.


    The rain had stopped, but the air was still damp and cold. As Ste settled into the car, she couldn''t help but shiver. Abby immediately turned on the heat. "Star, are you cold? Do you want my jacket?"


    "No, I''m fine," Ste replied.


    Perhaps worn out from the day''s events, Ste gradually fell asleep as the car moved smoothly along the road.


    She had a dream. She dreamt of the first time she met Joshua, how he had appeared so suddenly in front of her car.


    She had been suspicious of him then. But she had also thought that crashing his car was a rather extreme and life-threatening way to get close to someone.


    Despite her suspicions, she had kept him around, wanting to see what a person willing to risk his life for an introduction was really after. She had been on guard for a long time. Even after he followed her to Solmaris, she never saw him do anything unusual. Instead, his intelligence and quick thinking had helped her time and time again...


    "Star, wake up. We''re here."


    Ste slowly opened her eyes to the familiar sight of Williams Manor.


    Abby hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Star, since Joshua is gone, you''ll be short-handed. I''m nning toe back and work for you. Leonard is almost never at the Lerman estate anymore, he''s like a ghost. Hand Lerman told me he''s not even going to The Lerman


    Group. He''s up to something, being all secretive. Dismantling Leonard''s entirework isn''t something that can be done overnight. Rushing could lead to mistakes and give him an opening. He''s been hit hard, and it''ll take him a while to recover. There''s not much more I can do by staying with Hand."


    Ste rubbed her aching temples. "Did Hand tell you all this?"


    Abby smiled. "Some of it I overheard. The rest I figured out myself."


    Ste looked at Abby with a hint of pride in her eyes. "You''ve grown up, Abby."


    "You''re in such a tough spot, and I can do so little to help," Abby said, looking ashamed. "Worse, I usually just cause trouble and make you clean up my messes."


    She looked at Ste earnestly. "Thest time, I was thinking, if all I can do is hold you back, then maybe it would be better to let Leonard kill. me than to keep caring you problems. Aurora has her father, her brother, her friends, and all those admirers supporting her. But you... you have no one. So, I wanted to push myself for once."


    Ste''s gaze softened. "Abby, you were the main reason we dealt Leonard such a heavy blow. Without the information you provided, my partner and I would have had


    a much harder time intercepting his shipment."


    As she said this, something seemed


    to click in her mind, and a flicker of understanding crossed her face. "Abby Hand knew who you were arong. It''s very likely he fed you that information on purpose."


    II