Abby sat by Ste''s bedside, her chin resting in her hand, drifting in and out of sleep. Neville sat on the nearby sofa, resting with his eyes closed.


    After some time, she heard Ste murmur, "Water..."


    Abby was instantly awake. She looked over to see Ste''s eyes still tightly shut, her lips repeating the word. The sound also roused Neville, who opened his eyes immediately. He stood up, poured a ss of warm water, and handed it to Abby.


    "Thanks," she said.


    After helping Ste take a few sips, Abby gently settled her back down. She touched Ste''s forehead; it was still warm, but not burning like before. Abby breathed a sigh of relief.


    She checked the time: two-thirty in the morning. Her short nap had left her wide awake.


    "Mr. Connolly, you should get some sleep," she said to Neville. "I can watch Star." "I''m still on a different time zone. I''m not very tired right now," he replied.


    Since neither of them was sleepy, they began to chat quietly. They talked about everything that had happened to Ste recently: the Williams family, the Lerman family, the Burton family, and of course, Joshua.


    After hearing Abby''s ount, Neville remarked with a hint of admiration, "Star has grown so much, so quickly. I have no doubt she''ll hold her own against Sellers in theing marketpetition."


    Abby sighed. "I''m just worried Sellers will start a price war. The Burton Group has every advantage. We only managed to get this far thanks to the resources Old Mr. Burton left us, which, at the end of the day, are still tied to the Burton family. They''re such a massive n... it''s really not going to be easy."


    Neville, however, didn''t seem


    worried. He smiled. "Facing The


    it


    Burton Group alone, Star is indeed at a disadvantage. But think about it She acquired shares in the Pearce Group, andter got Israel''s shares. Combined with her own holdings and original stock, she has nothing to fear. The tricky part is that The Burton Group''s shareholders are all family making them difficult to divide. Otherwise Joshua wouldn


    have resorted to such a blunt


    strategy of just throwing money at


    them. But speaking of which, Star''s quick response this time was truly brilliant."


    As he said this, a look of genuine appreciation appeared in his eyes. "Now that Star has won this round, The Gardner Group can stop burning through cash. It indirectly saved that guy a lot of money."


    Abby knew exactly who "that guy" was. She asked curiously, "If... and this is just a hypothetical... if Star hadn''t made a move, how long would Joshua have kept pouring money into this?"


    She knew it couldn''t go on forever.


    Neville took a sip of water. "That would depend on his mood," he said lightly.


    Abby was speechless. That was as good as saying nothing. She doubted she would ever be able to figure someone like Joshua out.


    Just then, a faint, muffled voice


    interrupted their conversation. Both of them turned towards the bed. Ste was still deep in sleep, but she seemed to be dreaming, whispering something over and over. Her volee was soft and weak.


    Abby couldn''t make out the words. She moved closer to the bed and leaned down, trying to hear what Ste was saying. Finally, she caught a single word.


    "Haynie."