The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

The flickering light from the television screen cast deep shadows over Karl's face, making his features appear almost spectral-sinister and cold as a ghost.

He stared at the woman being interviewed, his lips curling slowly into a twisted

smile.

"Stella, I won't let you get away with this."

After the solo competition came the ensemble round.

This was where teamwork was truly put to the test—not just individual skill, but the ability to blend, to anticipate and support one another. In international

competitions, ensemble scores carried the most weight. No one could afford to be a lone wolf; working together was the only way to win.

Partners were assigned at random.

Stella's partner turned out to be Felipa, a girl in her early twenties with a natural gift for music and a spark in her eyes. Still, Felipa was green; to make it to the finals, she'd need more experience under her belt.

the venue, the city rolling by outside as she sat in the passenger seat with her eyes closed, quietly gathering herself for the competition ahead. Even though today's round posed little real challenge for her, Stella knew better than to let her guard down-especially with

was cloaked

is an ensemble. If your partner isn't up to par, could it drag down your

synergy. Not everyone is at the same level-if it were just about raw ability, there'd be

Joshua nodded. "I see."

concern. "Ms. Cameron, we might

snapped open. "What's going

the rearview mirror, gaze sharpening.

in her seat and saw them-several unmarked cars,

his pace steady, not giving anything away. "They don't realize we've spotted them

on, they might try to box

only road

thought for a moment. "There's a side road up ahead. Take

"Understood."

on us. And..." He glanced at the road ahead, where more cars appeared, blocking their path. "Looks like they were expecting us to take this detour. They want to corner

weight settled in