Mr. Burton red at the cat, let out an exasperated huff, and stormed off.
After leaving Mr. Burton''s estate, Ste extended an invitation to Neville for dinner.
Neville readily epted.
The three of them had history, so the meal carried on in rtively smooth, polite conversation.
When they finished eating, Neville kept to his usual tradition, presenting Ste with a gift he''d picked up during a recent business trip abroad.
It was a habit of his, and Ste would always ept it graciously before eventually returning the favor with a gift of her own.
Ste thanked him and insisted on picking up the check. Neville didn''t put up a fight.
Just as Ste was getting ready to settle the bill, her phone started ringing.
She nced at the screen. It was one of her managers, likely calling about something urgent at work.
Excusing herself, she stood up and walked over to a quiet corner of the restaurant to take the call.
The moment Ste was out of earshot, the atmosphere between Neville and Joshua turned instantly freezing.
Joshua''s expression remained perfectly unreadable. "Neville."
Neville met his gaze. "Can I help you?"
Joshua''s eyes drifted down to the gift box resting on the table.
"I want you to keep your distance from Star from now on. In fact, it''s best if you stop asking her out altogether."
Neville arched an eyebrow. "And why is that?"
"Because I don''t like it," Joshua stated matter-of-factly.
Neville''s voice dropped to a low, steady register. "Star and I are just friends. There''s nothing going on between us. Of course..."
A half-smile yed on Neville''s lips. "If Star were actually interested in me, you wouldn''t even be in the picture right now. Joshua, just because she chose you doesn''t mean you get to dictate who she can and cannot be friends with."
Joshua remained entirely indifferent. "I don''t buy into the idea of innocent friendships. between men and women if you truly cared about her well being, you''d back off, instead of using this friendship as a cover to hover around her with ulterior motives."
Joshua wasn''t pulling his punches. The hostility in his words was crystal clear.
Neville''s expression hardened instantly.
"And what if I say no?"
The corner of Joshua''s mouth curved up, but the smile didn''t reach his eyes.
"You''re wee to try."
Neville narrowed his dark, intense eyes.
The two men locked eyes in a deadpan standoff, the temperature between them dropping to absolute zero.
Neville finally broke the silence. "Joshua, you operate in extremes. Do you ever stop to think how that might affect Star?"
"Obstacles exist to be removed," Joshua replied with chilling apathy. "That includes you, Mr. Connolly But considering you''ve helped Star in the past, I figured I''d do you the courtesy of a warning."
"Aren''t you afraid that if Star finds out the truth, she''ll never forgive you?" Neville challenged.
Joshua let out a low, dark chuckle,
"If she finds out, then it''s just an introduction to the real ime After all, pretending to be someone I''m not gets exhausting."
Neville stared at Joshua, a flicker of deep, cynical amusement passing through his eyes as though something had just clicked.
"I thought you were cut from a different cloth than the rest of the Gardners. But it turns out, you''re exactly like them—maybe even worse."
Joshua''s face remained stone-cold.
He had heard all the rumors about his family a thousand times before. They didn''t even register as a blip on his radar anymore.
Neville was about to push the issue further, but Ste was already walking back, having finished her call and handled the bill.
Seeing her approach, Neville swallowed his words.
The moment Joshuaid eyes on Ste, the cial cruelty in his gaze melted away, reced entirely by pure, unadulterated warmth.
Watching Joshua flip a switch with such terrifying ease left Neville genuinely
unsettled. He couldn''t tell which version of the man was the real one.