Round one of their confrontation went to Ste.


    Beckett decided to drop the pretense. "The three of us-me, Joshua, and Laurel- met ten years ago at a selection trial. Out of a hundred contestants, only the top three would make it off that remote ind alive and earn a spot in an elite training program.


    "Back then, none of us had it easy in our respective family circles. Laurel''s family were all Westerners, and she was bullied and discriminated against because her mother was Asian. Joshua''s life was also difficult due to internal family conflicts.


    "Thepetition was aimed at the overlooked members of prominent families. It was our only chance to escape our fates. Getting off an ind riddled with traps, not to mention the treachery of other people, was no easy feat."


    He nced at Ste.


    "However, from the very beginning, Joshua was the strongest one there. With his abilities, he didn''t even need to participate in the trial. But he said he was born with a love for the thrill, for this kind of life-and-death gamble, so he came to y."


    Ste remained silent.


    Beckett was right. That was exactly the kind of person Joshua was.


    "We had to survive on the ind for a month," Beckett continued. "It wasn''t just the venomous creatures and the harsh elements-we also had to watch out for the other contestants. It was no different from a high-stakes game of survival. Even someone like Joshua was ambushed a few times. Eventually, through a series of circumstances, the three of us became partners."


    Beckett didn''t go into great detail about their past, but even from his brief ount, Ste could sense just how perilous the situation had been.


    "The three of us supported each other, survived several near-death experiences, and finally made it out sessfully. From that day on, we became partners who fought side-by-side, helping one another secure our positions as heads of our families."


    At this point, Beckett''s tone shifted. He looked at her with a mix of pity and sympathy.


    "Ste, you''re just Laurel''s recement. He once helped Laurel just as unreservedly as he helps you now I remember Joshua lent you a massive fortune to get you through a crisis, didn''t he? The amount of money he gave Laurel to help her was more than three times that. Laurel wouldn''t have the power and sess she has today without Joshua''s help."


    Beckett looked directly into Ste''s eyes. "Everything he has given you, he already gave to Laurel, and with even less reservation Because they weren''t just partners who fought side-by-side. They were once husband and wife."


    Even though Ste had been bracing herself, Beckett''s blunt words hit her with the force of a physical blow.


    Husband and wife. So they had been married.


    Joshua''s ex-wife was Laurel Quinn.


    No wonder. When Joshua and Laurel Quinn spoke, she had always sensed a certain rapport between them, a familiarity that ordinary people didn''t share.


    Though she maintained a calm facade, a heavy weight settled in her chest, making it hard to breathe.


    She couldn''t quite name theplicated swirl of emotions inside her.


    "Although Joshua helped Laurel a great deal," Beckett added, "Laurel also taught him a lot. The Joshua of the past didn''t have the emotional intelligence he has now. A man doesn''t just know how to treat woman; he has to learn through experience. See how gentle and considerate he is with you now, how he thinks of everything for you? In truth, Laurel taught him all of that.


    "Laurel taught him how to love, and in the end..."