"She and her ex-husband... who knows how many times they''ve slept together. She''s damaged goods. How could Ste ever be worthy of Leonard?"


    Before she could finish, Leonard cut her off sharply.


    "Shut up!"


    Simone froze, instinctively looking at Leonard.


    His face was dark, his gaze fixed on her, filled with an icy, ruthless re.


    He said in a low, dangerous voice, "Simone, if I hear you say one more word against her, don''t me me for disowning you as my sister."


    Simone''s eyes widened in disbelief. "Leonard, we''ve only had each other our whole lives. You''d throw your own sister away for some woman who has nothing to do with us?"


    Leonard retorted, "And didn''t you sell me out multiple times for a man who has nothing to do with us?"


    Simone was furious. "But I''m your sister! Your own flesh and blood!"


    "If you weren''t my sister," Leonard said, "do you think you''d still be standing here talking to me right now?"


    In that moment, Simone was finally certain. Leonard had transferred his feelings for Aurora onto Ste.


    His affection for Aurora had been, at best, a tool for her to use against him.


    But his feelings for Ste could get him killed.


    Joshua, for one, would never let it slide.


    At the thought of Joshua, a flicker of an idea crossed Simone''s mind.


    It was no secret that Joshua was in love with Ste.


    Though she knew Joshua had used her, Simone didn''t me him at all. In fact, she felt a strange sense of happiness about it.


    It meant she still had some value to him.


    Besides, Joshua had never gone out of his way to harm her. Otherwise, with his skills and intellect, she would have been dead many times over.


    Simone was intensely jealous of Ste, but with Ste''s current standing, she had no power to do anything to her.


    If Joshua found out, she''d bepletely out of the picture for good.


    And now, with Leonard also falling for Ste, moving against her was even more impossible.


    But Simone wasn''t ready to give up.


    A divorced woman with a child could make both Leonard and Joshua fall for her.


    She wasn''t any worse than Ste. Why couldn''t she win Joshua''s heart?


    A thought suddenly struck Simone.


    If Ste and Leonard got together, wouldn''t that give her an opportunity?


    That''s right. Why was she trying to stop Leonard from pursuing Ste?


    If Leonard and Ste became a couple, he would be eliminating a rival for her. And when Aurora returned and found that Ste had stolen Leonard away, she might even start a fight with Ste.


    No matter how she looked at it, the pros far outweighed the cons.


    A spark of excitement ignited within her.


    She softened her tone. "Leonard, I''m sorry. I was just worried that Ste might hold a grudge against you because of the past and try to hurt you. That''s why I got so worked up. I promise, I''ll never speak about her like that again."


    Seeing Simone apologize, Leonard''s expression finally eased.


    He said coolly, "I''m just an illegitimate son. I''m not as perfect as you make me out to


    be. If we''re talking about not being good enough..."


    A faint, self-deprecating smile touched his lips. "Someone like me, with blood on his hands, isn''t good enough for her."


    Simone was speechless for a few seconds.


    After a moment, she finally said, "Leonard, Ste has a huge misunderstanding of you right now. If you want to change her opinion, you have to clear the air between you."


    Leonard heard the unspoken suggestion in her words and looked at her.


    "What, you have a n?"


    Simone flinched. For a second, she felt as if Leonard had seen right through her.