The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 2060

Abby had been absolutely speechless.

Aside from the absurd rumors, the media constantly posted awful, unflattering photos of her online.

It had nearly driven her out of her mind.

Thankfully, Stella transitioning to a behind-the-scenes role had spared them a mountain of harassment.

After hanging up, Stella thought for a few seconds before dialing Leonard Lerman's number.

The call was answered almost immediately. "Stella."

Stella cut straight to the chase. "Did you do that to Blair?"

Leonard was quiet for a moment before answering. "It wasn't me."

Ever since Stella had told him she didn't need him intervening, he hadn't laid a finger on anyone.

He knew she despised his ruthless methods.

Stella understood. She was just about to hang up when he stopped her.

"Stella."

She waited silently for him to continue.

Leonard's voice grew dark. "It was Joshua."

Stella simply said, "Understood," and ended the call.

Looking up, her eyes landed on the dark, blooming black roses sitting in the vase on her desk.

...

After a few more grueling days of work, Stella finally had some free time.

Gideon dropped her off at the entrance of The Auto Repair Shop and drove off.

Normally, as her bodyguard, Gideon would dutifully wait outside to ensure her safety.

However, after Stella saw Joshua casually chatting with Gideon during a break the other day, she immediately ordered Gideon to leave.

She had already briefed Gideon on how to handle the situation with Joshua's amnesia.

But compared to Wilbur, Gideon was a bit too honest and straightforward.

Wilbur was currently out on another mission, leaving Gideon to act as her primary protection.

Honestly, Stella was terrified that Joshua would effortlessly manipulate Gideon into spilling their secrets. It was safer to just banish Gideon whenever she was around Joshua.

Stella hadn't told Joshua she was coming to work on the car today.

"Fuck, she's absolutely stunning. A total knockout! I've never seen a woman this hot in my life!"

The blond guy chuckled sleazily. "See, Boss? I didn't lie. She's way hotter than those plastic celebrities on TV."

The boss glanced back at his crew with a filthy grin.

He cracked his knuckles, practically buzzing with anticipation.

"Watch the door. I'm going to have a nice, deep chat with this beauty."

He swaggered right up to Stella, his intentions painfully obvious. "Hey gorgeous, how about we get to know each other?"

It had been a very long time since Stella had dealt with street trash like this.

She glanced back at the nearly finished car, then back at the man in front of her.

If a fight broke out here, the car's flawless primer was going to be destroyed.

If something went wrong again, there would be absolutely no explaining it away to Joshua.

Taking her silence as an invitation, the boss reached out and clamped a hand down on Stella's arm.

"What's wrong, beautiful? Cat got your tongue? Or are you just shy?"