The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1268

The shock wore off, replaced by a surge of pure, unadulterated hatred. Leonard lowered his own window, his eyes locked on Joshua.

"How are you driving Aurora's car?" he ground out.

"She lent it to me, of course," Joshua said with an easy smile. "You don't think I could have just taken it without her permission, do you?"

Leonard's teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached. "Why would she lend you Dawnlight?"

Joshua pretended to consider the question. "I hear Ms. Williams has a taste for power. Perhaps she lent it to me because she realized I could defeat you, Mr. Lerman?"

Leonard's hand balled into a fist. Aurora had never even let *him* borrow Dawnlight. And now she had handed it over to the man who had nearly killed him, who had cost him an arm and an ear. A bitter, venomous feeling of betrayal coiled in his gut.

He knew Aurora didn't love him. He had never been angry about that. He had always believed that a woman as exceptional as her was entitled to have high standards. He understood her ambition; in fact, he admired her strength and ruthlessness, qualities that mirrored his own. He was willing to be her stepping stone, to let her climb on his back to reach greater heights.

But he was not willing to let her use him to elevate his mortal enemy.

He didn't know why he was thinking of this now. His face went white, and he coughed up another spray of blood. He looked into Joshua's smiling eyes and, in that instant, everything clicked into place.

He stared at him, his voice a raw whisper. "I see it now. You're not helping Stella for some other reason. You're doing all of this… because you're in love with her."

Joshua gave him a strange look. "What did you think? That I was just doing it out of the kindness of my heart?"

He had never tried to hide it from anyone but Stella.