Just then, Coleman''s phone rang. He answered it, and Skyler''s voice came through the line. "You and Star need toe back to the house right now. We have an initial lead on Aurora''s whereabouts."


    Coleman hung up and said to Ste in a cold voice, "Father wants you back at the house immediately."


    "I know," Ste replied.


    When she didn''t move, Coleman''s brow furrowed. "If you know, then let''s go. Are you waiting for a personal invitation?"


    Ste said tly, "You go ahead, Coleman. I can get back on my own. After all, no one enjoys being face-to-face with someone they dislike."


    Having failed to get any information, Coleman didn''t bother wasting any more time with her. He had delivered the message; whether she returned or not was out of his hands. He left quickly.


    Joshua, having been interrupted, wasn''t in a good mood. Ste had been feeling a bit awkward, but Coleman''s outburst had managed to diffuse some of the tension.


    "Joshua, you should rest here at the hospital," Ste said. "I''m going back to the family home." She paused before adding, "I''ll be back once things are settled."


    "I''ll go with you," Joshua stated.


    Before Ste could protest, Joshua cut her off. "With Aurora missing, the Williams family will pull out all the stops to find her. They won''t just call Sellers; they''ll call Leonard too. If I go with you, they won''t say anything."


    Ste''s gaze fell to his injured arm. "But your arm....."


    "Don''t worry, they won''t do anything to me," Joshua said. "Besides..." He looked at Ste, a faint smile appearing in his dark eyes as his voice dropped to a low murmur. "I''ll have you there, won''t I?"


    Ste lowered her eyes and, in the end, didn''t refuse him.


    When they arrived at the Williams estate, the living room was indeed full of people. Not only were Sellers and his nephew, Sherman Burton, there, but Ste was surprised to see McCoy Chapman as well.


    She had met McCoy a few times through Lauretta Chapman. Thest time Ste saw Lauretta she had mentioned that McCoy and Aurora”. had be friends. Ste wasn''t surprised by this, and neithe was Lauretta.  s?novels


    Thinking that Lauretta and Jonathan''s engagement was just a month away, Ste sighed silently.


    She scanned the room and was surprised to find that Leonard, who had risked his life to save Aurora not long ago, was not present. Was he too seriously injured? But she had just seen him being discharged from the hospital Given how important Aurora was to him, he would have crawled here even if his legs were broken.


    Ste was so lost in thought that she didn''t even notice Joshua had stopped walking until she bumped right into him.


    "Sorry."


    Joshua''s deep gaze rested on her, carrying an almost tangible, piercing quality. "Star, who are you thinking about?" he asked.


    Ste froze. How could he tell she was thinking about a person and not just an issue?


    Seeing her reaction, Joshua knew he had guessed correctly. He stared at her quietly, his gaze so intense that a fineyer of sweat broke out on her palms.


    "Joshua, why... why are you looking at me like that?"


    Joshua smiled. "I was just wondering who could be so important that you''d be that lost in thought."


    Ste instinctively exined, "...He''s not that important. I was just thinking about something, and he came to mind."