Abby had always wanted Leonard dead. But now that he was actually gone, she felt a strange sense of pity, especially when she thought about his past self, L. Leonard was both a pitiable and detestable man.


    Ste stared at her ruined hand for a long, long time before finally saying, "Yeah."


    Abby didn''t know what that "Yeah" meant. Was it an acknowledgment that she and Leonard had settled the score, or a decision to ept his shares? Whatever the case, Leonard-both for the harm he had caused and the sacrifices he hadter made-would leave an indelible mark on Ste''s heart.


    The most profound memories are often of two kinds: moments of greatest happiness and moments of deepest pain. If Joshua represented the former, then Leonard was undoubtedly thetter. In a way, Leonard had seeded.


    Ste rested her head in her hand. "Abby," she said softly, "I''m starting to realize that I''m not so different from Aurora..."


    Just as she finished speaking, the study door was thrown open.


    Foreman Richards appeared in the doorway.


    "Star, don''t you dare ept Leonard''s gift!"


    Foreman''s face was as dark as a storm cloud, his jaw clenched in anger. "He''s the reason you can''t y the violin anymore. He kidnapped you for so long. Even in death, he doesn''t deserve forgiveness!"


    Seeing Foreman, Abby frowned. "Foreman, are you eavesdropping again?"


    Lately, Foreman had been running around helping Ste, and Abby''s opinion of him had just started to improve. But now he was back to his old, annoying habits.


    Foreman ignored Abby, his gaze


    fixed on Ste. "Star, have you forgotten how he hurt you? He ruined your hand, and then he kept targeting you. You can''t just forgive him because he liked you and tried


    topensate you. Some inds


    can never be healed, no matter how muchpensation is offered.


    After waking up that morning, Foreman had gone to find Ste but saw Abby acting suspiciously. He had followed her and overheard Rhett''s conversation with Ste about the shares.


    Abby hated Foreman''s line of


    thinking. "First, you tried to stop Star


    from epting Joshua''s help, and


    now you''re here again, trying to block her!" she shot back. "Is Star supposed to just suffer for nothing? Foreman, are you an idiot? With Leonard''s shares, we''d be


    unstoppable. We could do whatever


    If


    We want in Solmaris she refuses them, all Star gets is her hatred for Leonard. Is holding onto hatred so valuable that you can''t let it go? Besides, Leonard''s dead. Who is there to hate? The air?"


    Foreman finally looked at Abby, sneering. "Do you think Leonard''s shares are so easy to ept? Do you know what the Lerman family was built on, what kind of business they rum Even they''ve tried to go legitimate, they''re still a vicious family! If Star epts Leonard''s shares, she''ll be targeted and manipted by those sharks in the Lerman family who would eat her alive! Do you really think Leonard was doing this for Star''s own good? He was just using pensation'' as an excuse to make her a public target!"