The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

The people determined to smear Stella's name still refused to give up.

Someone challenged her reputation online: "If Stella is truly so talented, why didn't Mr. Walden take her on as his protégé? Why did he choose Rachel as his last student instead?"

Abby shot back without hesitation. “Because someone at Stella's level doesn't need to be anyone's apprentice."

Every rumor-filled post about Stella that popped up online, Abby meticulously catalogued and sent out cease- and-desist letters, one after another.

Those who received the legal notices scrambled to post public apologies, insisting they'd only been paid to do someone else's dirty work.

Some even admitted outright that the dirt they'd spread about Stella was completely fabricated.

They confessed: they just couldn't stand to see Stella succeed, so they resorted to spreading lies about her online.

In the end, the pressure became too much for Felipa, who withdrew from the competition.

Felipa's best friend, Rowena, was also exposed—she'd been orchestrating a wave of online slander that damaged Stella's reputation. She soon found herself the target of a lawsuit.

so-called "insiders” who claimed to know all about

Stella turned the tables, Rachel nearly ground

useless! I fed her so much dirt on

Stella refuse to quit, her performance in the competition

reaping more

the prestigious title of Mr. Walden's final student, Rachel's own reputation and influence couldn't compare to

friend—a woman about his age-arrived for a

I'll get straight to the point. I came to see your new protégé. I hear she's a violin prodigy-supposedly

With the international music

hopeless students might standa chance. If not, we'll just

smile played on Mr. Walden's lips. "That's no problem. I'll

busy enough-between preparing for a concert and the competition, I'm sure her

her concert? My students have been stalking the website for ages and still can't

her mentor, you could pull

Mr. Walden's smile froze.