After escorting Ste to her office, Abby Murphy made her a cup of coffee.


    She couldn''t help but ask, "Star, didn''t you go to a party with Joshuast night? Why do you look like you didn''t get any sleep? Don''t tell me....."


    Abby looked Ste up and down, a knowing smile on her face.


    "Joshua confessed to you, didn''t he?"


    Ste looked up at Abby. "You knew?"


    Abby acted as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course I knew. Even


    if I didn''t see it at first, it became pretty clear after he told you the truth about himself. Why else would he help you so much? Guilt alone wouldn''t have made him do all those things for you."


    Ste rubbed her tired brow. "...Is that so?"


    "I know you just got divorced and have been hurt, so you don''t want to think about romance right now," Abby said. "That''s why I never brought it up. I imagine Joshua held back for so long to give you more time."


    Abby paused to gauge Ste''s reaction before continuing. "Star, the truth is, Joshua''s help went beyond the scope of an employer a long time ago. But back then, you didn''t see him in a romantic light, so you never thought about it that way, and it was hard to notice his feelings. And now... since Joshua has chosen to make it clear, it means he came back this time to pursue you."


    When Joshua had asked Abby toe back and take care of Ste, Abby had gotten the impression that he might not return. She didn''t know what had changed his mind, but since he had chosen toe back, he wasn''t going to do nothing.


    Joshua was never one to be subtle or reserved.


    Abby had thought Joshua might spend some time rebuilding their emotional connection before confessing. But no, the guy went straight for the jugr, not ying by the usual rules.


    Then again, that was very much Joshua''s style. They had already built up at the feelings they needed to. If he waited for the right moment like Neville or


    Veereman Richards


    he''d just get beaten to the punch by another suitor. By confessing first, he made sure Ste''s mind would bepletely upied with him, leaving her no energy to consider anyone else.


    Hearing Abby''s words, Ste was suddenly reminded of what Leonard had said the day before. Though they expressed it differently, the core meaning was strangely the same.


    Abby added, "Since Joshua has made his intentions clear, he wants you to start seeing him as a man. Star, whether it''s his looks, intelligence, or status, Joshua is top-tier among men. I really think you should give him serious consideration."


    Joshua hadn''t confessed to Ste


    while hiding his identity, and that alone put him above many men. Abby always felt that a confession made under a false identity carried a hint of testing testing whether the other person would look down on them because of their status.


    UT


    But Joshua''s purpose for hiding his identity was never to test Ste. In Abby''s view; the fact that he waited until after he had resumed his identity to confess was a sign of responsibility. As the head of the Gardner family, he could offer Ste a tangible future, one where she wouldn''t because of his status. He wouldn''t


    face opposition or criticism


    make her fight the world over


    mismatched backgrounds and


    endure all that pressure.


    If you can''t even offer someone a future, what right do you have to ask them to be


    with you?