The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1181

“But—”

Before she could finish, the call was abruptly cut off.

Jake stared at his phone, the dial tone echoing in his ears. For a long moment, he was at a loss for words.

Across the room, Harold, buried in his paperwork, glanced up and caught sight of Jake’s stunned expression. From their earlier conversation, he’d already gathered the gist.

He sighed. “See? I told you—Mr. Gardner’s patience only goes so far. The only reason he’s put up with it this long is out of respect for her.”

Jake finally snapped out of his daze. “Which just goes to show—Stella is Mr. Gardner’s real Achilles’ heel.”

Harold shrugged. “I wouldn’t be so sure. We used to think she was special too, didn’t we? But look how that turned out.”

Jake looked up suddenly. “And what makes you so certain she isn’t still special to him?”

Harold blinked, momentarily thrown. He opened his mouth to argue, but no counterpoint came.

After a pause, he relented. “You’re right. Who really knows what’s going on in Mr. Gardner’s head?”

Jake nodded. “But one thing’s certain: Mr. Gardner treats Stella—and the one before her—differently from everyone else. As for Rachel…”

Jake and Harold exchanged a knowing smile. Some things didn’t need to be said out loud.

Rachel was just a passing amusement for Joshua. Nothing more.

—

Rachel didn’t last long—she confessed to everything.

Leonard handed the towel back to his assistant and settled onto the sofa, crossing his legs with effortless grace.

“Think about it, Rachel. If he truly wanted to help you, why would he ask you to lie? Anyone with half a brain knows that one lie leads to a thousand more. He went to all that trouble to cover for you—bribed the doctor, faked your medical records—when it would’ve been easier to just throw you and Haynes into bed together and be done with it.”

He arched a brow. “And then he told you to buy followers and fake your popularity. With his resources, he could’ve made you a real star overnight—if he’d wanted to. Instead, he left you with nothing but empty numbers and a house of cards ready to collapse.”

“Because lies are always exposed in the end.”

Rachel shook her head violently. “No! I don’t believe you! If I really slept with Haynie, maybe he’d take responsibility, but he’d never love me. Getting close to him slowly—step by step—is the right move! I’m Joshua’s one true love. I’m different in his eyes!”

Leonard looked at her with a mixture of pity and exasperation. “Rachel, you’re hopeless. You’ve been sold out, and you’re still counting the money for your seller. If you can’t even fool me, what makes you think you can fool Joshua—especially when you don’t even have proof of your so-called importance to him?”

Rachel bit her lip until she tasted blood. “If he knows I’m a fake, then why does he keep helping me?!”