The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 2241

Stella glanced at the man's hand covering hers, then back at the lavish breakfast spread.

She could distinctly feel that since they had gotten married, Joshua's attitude toward her was noticeably softer and more attentive than before.

It suddenly hit her—Joshua had once been in a contract marriage with Laurel.

Had he been this gentle with Laurel back then?

Without thinking, the question slipped out. "Were you... like this with Laurel too?"

The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them.

Given the current nature of their relationship, it was an invasive question. And frankly, even when they were genuinely close in the past, prying into his personal dynamics was pointless.

She was just about to backtrack and play it off when Joshua's voice cut through the air.

"No. Laurel and I never lived together. We only met to discuss business," he answered smoothly. "Back then, the succession war within the Gardners was entirely cutthroat. No one cared about checking up on my private life. But now... they're hyper-fixated on my marital status because they can't find any other vulnerabilities to exploit. So they magnified the fact that I was single."

Joshua looked at Stella, a faint, captivating smile blooming in his dark eyes.

"But more importantly, I only ever viewed her as a business partner. I had no romantic interest in her whatsoever."

His confession was half direct, half implied.

Even if Stella were completely dense, she could hear the underlying declaration: he was attracted to her.

As if shocked by an electric current, she instinctively pulled her hand back.

Joshua wasn't offended, nor did he press his advantage. Instead, he simply gestured to the food. "Let's eat first. Afterwards, I'll go with you to see your family. I need to pack some clothes and essentials to bring over anyway."

Stella was quiet.

Since the news was already plastered across the globe, hiding the relationship was entirely pointless now.

It wasn't that she was afraid of people knowing.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify