The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Stella had to admit, her own reasoning felt a little flimsy, but she truly couldn't come up with a better explanation.

Abby pressed on, "By the way, did you tell Keen about this?"

Stella shook her head. "No, I don't plan to tell him for now. This is between me and Haynes—it's not something a child needs to be dragged into. Besides, I don't want to tip Haynes off. I'd rather wait and see what he's really after. Worst case, I'll just be extra careful with anything Keen brings me from now on."

Abby couldn't help but admire Stella's composure. If she were in Stella's shoes, staying calm would be out of the question.

***

The day of the competition arrived sooner than expected.

Thanks to the organizers' mediation, all the contestants had agreed to return. Their goal in withdrawing earlier was to manipulate rankings and grab attention, not because they truly wanted to quit. If they'd actually left, they'd have lost their leverage entirely. If they really had that much backbone, they wouldn't have played these little games in the first place.

This was Stella's first public appearance since the scandal, and all eyes were on her.

left unsold, but this time they'd vanished in a flash—and even scalpers were prowling outside. The livestream hadn't even started, yet nearly a

seat, a complicated expression on his face. He sighed, “No wonder so many directors chase after

soon as Stella stepped into the venue, a horde of reporters descended on her like a flock of vultures. Abby quickly stepped in, shielding Stella from the worst of the crowd. Neville Connolly's hired security guards moved in, pushing back the surging press to keep

direction, relentless and sharp as

you, yet you've

car accident and injured your hand.

the scenes—otherwise, the organizers wouldn't have bent the rules just for

questions grew more

It was as if these reporters wouldn't stop until they gushed Stella into losing her cool or caught something O scandalous on

barrage, Stella remained perfectly calm; not a hint of agitation flickered across her face. Suddenly,

the other contestants petition for your removal, you've still got the nerve to show up? That kind of

the voice. A young woman, probably in her early twenties, stood holding a microphone, looking smugly defiant. When Stella's gaze met hers,