The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1883

While he was trained in self-defense and close-quarters combat, he couldn't hold a candle to men like Joshua and Leonard, who had literally carved their paths to power through blood and bone.

And for Joshua to boldly waltz right into his inner sanctum meant he had come fully prepared.

Sellers just hadn't expected him to be this brazen, stepping into the lion's den without an ounce of fear.

Just as Sellers was frantically calculating how to buy more time, Joshua suddenly pulled out a handgun.

"Joshua—"

Sellers only managed to get the name out before the bullet struck his chest, but strangely, the agonizing pain he braced for never came.

He froze for a second, then quickly realized it was a tranquilizer dart.

A moment later, the world faded to black as he lost consciousness.

...

He had no idea how much time had passed when he finally groggily opened his eyes.

The first thing that filled his vision was massive iron bars stretching several feet high.

Sellers' mind snapped to full alertness. He was locked inside a giant metal cage.

Before he could even begin to take in his surroundings, his eyes locked onto a pair of glowing, predatory eyes in the shadows.

His pupils dilated in pure shock. He realized that the cage directly adjacent to his housed a fully grown lion.

Even a man of Sellers' status, a powerful family patriarch, couldn't maintain his aristocratic composure when rooming next to an apex predator.

Just then, the heavy door to the dungeon swung open.

A tall, familiar silhouette stepped out of the shadows and slowly approached the cages.

"Mr. Burton, how are you finding the temporary accommodations I've arranged for you?"

Gripping the freezing iron bars, Sellers shot Joshua an icy glare.

"Joshua, I strongly advise you to let me out of here right now. Otherwise, the second I leave this place—"

Sellers' threat was quickly cut off by Joshua's bright, chilling smile.

Sellers kept his voice frigid. "Joshua, the head of the Burton family vanishing is headline news. Are you absolutely certain you didn't leave a single breadcrumb behind?

Forget about the old man finding out—even if Stella knew, she would never stand for this.

You claim you don't want to make things hard for Stella, but your actions completely contradict your words.

Joshua, Stella would never love a monster who resorts to such vicious tactics."

At his core, Sellers was a seasoned leader. Even backed into a nightmare like this, his mind remained sharp and calculating.

He knew perfectly well that his only trump card, his only way out of this hellhole, was Stella.

Joshua's smile remained as light as a breeze. He stepped closer, locking eyes with him through the iron bars, his tone dripping with mock regret.

"Honestly, I really didn't want to take it this far. But for the past year, I've had to endure you and your people constantly stirring up trouble. It's been exhausting.

Why couldn't you all just stay in your lanes? Why do you insist on constantly testing my limits?

Did you really believe that because of Star, I was totally declawed and couldn't touch you?"