The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1893

Mr. Burton glared at the cat, let out an exasperated huff, and stormed off.

...

After leaving Mr. Burton's estate, Stella extended an invitation to Neville for dinner.

Neville readily accepted.

The three of them had history, so the meal carried on in relatively smooth, polite conversation.

When they finished eating, Neville kept to his usual tradition, presenting Stella with a gift he'd picked up during a recent business trip abroad.

It was a habit of his, and Stella would always accept it graciously before eventually returning the favor with a gift of her own.

Stella thanked him and insisted on picking up the check. Neville didn't put up a fight.

Just as Stella was getting ready to settle the bill, her phone started ringing.

She glanced 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 Stella 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 played 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 let out a low, dark chuckle. "If she finds out, then it's just an introduction to the real me. 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 Stella was already walking back, having finished her call and handled the bill.

Seeing her approach, Neville swallowed his words.

The moment Joshua laid eyes on Stella, the glacial cruelty in his gaze melted away, replaced 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.