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."

But this is Neo-Vespera, after all. With the way those three operate, it's unlikely they'd leave any evidence

Sherman Burton walked in, holding the results

"What's

points to Haynes..." Sherman shook his head, still trying to process it. "Since

enemies, but there was still a difference between ruthlessness and outright

But to have him stripped naked and dumped

humiliating in a way that was

silent, deep

cunning and capability. He might not be a

then asked, "Karl... are you

was, after all, a

man, the type who turned heads

were

tastes-it

realm of possibility. '

be certain-was Karl just stripped,

question, but one Sellers felt he had to ask. Better to

to the side,

Karl-what a nightmare to

the neck of his beer bottle until cracks appeared