The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

At the mention of Stella Cameron's name, Sellers Burton's brow furrowed

reflexively.

"Her again? What happened between you two, exactly?"

Karl recounted the whole story of his feud with Stella.

After listening, Sellers remarked, "You nearly ruined her hand. She certainly has a motive to pull something like this."

He didn't offer much more comment and didn't seem to think Karl had done anything wrong. After all, Stella had butted in where she shouldn't have; if her hand had ended up crippled, she would have had no one to blame but herself.

"But honestly," Sellers continued, "I don't believe she has what it takes to pull this off."

Planting contraband on Karl? That was far beyond anything Stella could manage.

And to have Karl locked up for a night, knocked out, and stripped naked on top of it? The whole chain of events seemed simple, but pulling it off would take some serious resources.

Karl's voice turned cold. "Just because she couldn't do it herself doesn't mean no one around her could."

"This is Neo-Vespera. Neville Connolly, Haynes O'Brien, Jasper Wilkinson-any one of them could be behind it."

into it. But this is Neo-Vespera, after all. With the way those three operate, it's unlikely they'd leave any evidence behind. Especially Haynes-he's meticulous, never leaves loose

Sherman Burton walked in, holding the results of the

"What's with that

to Haynes..." Sherman shook his head, still trying to

with his enemies, but there was still a difference between ruthlessness

locked up or even beaten. But

humiliating in a way that was

fell silent, deep in

and capability. He might not be a saint, but he

pause, Sellers glanced at Karl, hesitated, then

after all, a

turned heads wherever

there were people with

of tastes-it

realm of possibility. '

needed to be certain-was Karl just stripped, or had something even worse

but one Sellers felt he had to ask. Better to know the truth now than be caught off

to the

nightmare to

tightened around the neck of