The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Abby looked like she wanted to say something more, but her eyes suddenly landed on Joshua sitting nearby.

She stood up. "Star, can we talk outside for a minute?"

Stella nodded, and the two of them stepped out into the hallway.

Once the hospital room door was closed, Abby lowered her voice and tried to reason with Stella. "Star, I know you're furious about all of this. Anyone would be. But you also know what kind of power Haynes holds at Neo-Vespera. Even with Neville's help, even if we manage to leak the dirt on Rachel, it'll all be swept under the rug in no time. They'll be on guard, and if we try anything else before Rachel's concert, it's going to be almost impossible to pull off."

She glanced back toward the room, her tone softening. "I know you can't stand to see the people you care about getting hurt. But holding back for a few days won't make a difference. In the meantime, maybe we can deal with all those nasty rumors about Joshua. Let's track down the women who started them and have our lawyer hit them with a lawsuit."

Stella shook her head. "Joshua's lost his memory. We don't know what's true or false anymore."

Abby let out a long sigh. "You're right."

Stella continued, "And now with Haynes fanning the flames, it's going to be almost impossible to put this fire out."

down, but Joshua's

drop the bomb about Rachel ahead of schedule? She wanted to strike

rush of heat in his veins. For the first time in a long while,

to

to such desperate lengths, even hurting herself, just to win Haynes's attention. This

the room, Abby eventually gave

be able to silence her so easily. If Stella exposed Rachet under her own name, it'd cause an explosion-but it would also be a huge

account? Everyone knows I'm your manager; I

she'd take the fall-Stella wouldn't be

and day. Even the fan counts don't compare. Haynes might be able to silence you, but he would never

too risky. What if something

her

at how far we've