The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Sellers didn't want to argue with Mr. Burton. "If there's nothing else, I'll hang up

now. It's rude to talk on the phone during a date.”

Since Sellers had made his point, Mr. Burton could only end the call.

Afterward, Sellers turned to Stella.

"Ms. Cameron, shall we order, or would you rather continue this delightful conversation?"

Continuing the conversation would only lead to more verbal sparring and mutual mockery.

Stella didn't have the patience for that. "Let's just order."

She figured it was best to eat first-after all, the real drama was still to come.

Once they'd finished ordering, Stella's phone buzzed quietly. She glanced down: a message from Joshua.

"I'm sitting right in front of you."

Her lashes fluttered, but she didn't betray any surprise. She looked up, casually, and sure enough, there was Joshua, seated at a corner table directly across from her. When he caught her eye, he gave a subtle nod.

Stella quickly looked away.

Joshua really had shown up.

But this was a public restaurant, and Sellers was only here because Mr. Burton had asked him to meet her. Under normal circumstances, there was no way he'd try anything.

Before long, the waiter brought their food.

Stella and Sellers had almost nothing in common-conversation between them was stilted, if not nonexistent. They ate in silence, barely exchanging a word.

Once Stella had finished most of her meal, she quietly sent out a text.

Minutes later, a furious woman stormed into the restaurant and marched straight to Stella and Sellers' table.

She pointed at Sellers, her voice ringing out across the elegant dining room. "You two-timing jerk! You're really out here meeting other women behind my back? Cheating liar!4 can't believe how badly you've fooled me!"

Her outburst shattered the restaurant's refined atmosphere-every head turned instantly in their direction.

Nothing drew a crowd like a scene, and this was exactly the kind of spectacle people loved to watch.

Not far away, Jasper-who never missed a bit of juicy gossip-perked up the moment he heard the commotion. His eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Oh wow! Here we go again-another scandal brewing!"

1.n

Jasper lived for this kind of drama. He knew every sordid detail about who in their circle had a secret affair, who had a love child, who went through a messy divorce, and even who'd gotten into a hair-pulling fight at home. Most of the mischievous ideas he'd suggested to Haynes for dealing with Stella came straight out of these stories. noveldrama

Now, seeing fresh gossip unfold before his eyes, Jasper couldn't contain his glee. "Foreman, Foreman, come look! Someone's getting caught cheating again."

Foreman glanced over and corrected him, "No, it's the guy who's two-timing, not someone catching the mistress. Didn't you hear? She said he snuck out to meet another woman."

Jasper waved him off. "Oh, same difference!"

While they chatted, the woman suddenly grabbed a glass from the table and tossed the drink right into Sellers' face.

"You ungrateful cheat! I stood by you when you were nothing, and now that you've made it, you want to toss me aside? How can you live with yourself? Do you even have a conscience?"

Sellers had always carried himself with cool superiority-when had anyone ever dared to insult him like this, let alone in public? His face darkened, sticky juice dripping from his handsome features onto his crisp white shirt. He looked utterly humiliated-worse than when Stella had doused him with water at the auction.

A storm was brewing in Sellers' eyes.

His voice came out through clenched teeth. "You must have a death wish."

But the woman was fierce and completely unfazed by his threatening posture—in fact, she only raised her voice.