Hearing Joshua''s name, Ste''s gaze flickered, but she remained silent.


    Abby quickly changed the subject. "Star, once we wrap things up here, let''s go out. A real shopping spree. We were cooped up in Hand for so long, wepletely forgot what a mall looks like."


    "Okay," Ste agreed.


    Ste had been working overtime constantly and hadn''t had a proper rest in ages. Now that the dust had settled, the tightly wound spring inside her could finally unwind. There were still three or four files on her desk. She decided to workte tonight to finish them so she could go shopping with Abby tomorrow. She meant to just rest her head on the desk for a moment before starting, but before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.


    She wasn''t sure how long had passed when she felt a jacket being draped over her shoulders. She woke with a start.


    Rubbing her eyes, she asked, "Did I fall asleep again... Joshua, what time is it?" The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Then, Abby''s voice broke the silence. "Star, it''s already eleven-thirty."


    Ste turned and saw the sorrow in Abby''s eyes. She lowered her gaze.


    Abby sighed silently. She moved behind Ste and began to gently massage her temples. Ste''s eyshes fluttered, and she opened her mouth as if to say something.


    Sensing her hesitation, Abby spoke softly. "Are you going to ask where I learned this massage technique? Before Joshua left, he gave me a notebook. It detailed some of your habits."


    As she massaged, she continued, "Honestly, when I first learned the truth, I was angry with him. But after I saw this notebook, I just couldn''t me him anymore. We''ve been friends for years, and I thought I knew you so well. Butpared to him, I feel like Ie up short. This notebook even lists the exact temperature you prefer for your coffee and hot tea. I always knew you liked hot drinks, but after reading this, I realized... I don''t know nearly as much as he does. I learned this massage from the notebook too. I''m not as clever as Joshua; I practiced for a long time in private but couldn''t quite get the hang of it..."


    Abby trailed off. She didn''t dare tell Ste that she and Joshua were still in contact. When she had first returned to Ste''s side, they were thrown into the business war with Sellers, and there was so much she didnt understand. But Ste was already running on four hours of sleep a night; Abby couldn''t bear to bother her. These were also business secrets, so she couldn''t ask Haynes or Neville Connolly for help.


    In the end, she decided to ask Joshua. She wasn''t sure if he had deleted his old contact information after leaving, or if he would even want to talk to her. To her surprise, he hadn''t, and he replied almost immediately.


    Abby''s eating habits were all over the ce, and now, buried in work, she''d often go


    the whole day without a meal.


    It was Joshua who would message


    her, reminding her to make sure


    Ste ate. Just a moment ago, it was his message that prompted her to check if Ste had fallen asleep. He had even told her that if she ran into any trouble she couldn''t handle, she shouldn''t try to tough it out but tell him right away.


    Abby''s heart ached. Joshua had openly admitted his wrongdoings, yet he never said a single cruel word to distance himself from Ste. With her, he wasn''t the feared


    head of the Gardner family. He was just Joshua, and that had never changed.