The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Aurora's brow furrowed slightly. "Violence? Simone, you're being reckless. I've heard Seymour's been a fighter since he was a kid-nasty, ruthless. There are rumors he's killed more than a few people.

To keep him from causing even more trouble, the Chapman family shipped him off

to a military camp in Solmaris, hoping it would straighten him out.

But instead of reforming him, it just made him even tougher.

After getting discharged, he put quite a few rich kids in the hospital-some barely

walked away.

What if he gets carried away and actually kills someone?"

The light, girlish shyness in Simone's face vanished, replaced by an icy indifference.

"If Seymour really beats someone to death or maims them, that's just fate. Survival of the fittest. If he's eliminated, maybe he was meant to be. I don't waste my time caring about people who can't keep up."

It wasn't surprising that Simone and Aurora had become close friends; deep down, they both admired strength.

The difference was, for Aurora, men were tools for her ambitions.

For Simone, any man who couldn't impress her wasn't worth a second thought.

Aurora looked Simone in the eye. "So, what about now?"

swept in to save

shot her a reminder. "Don't forget to

"I know."

longer before Simone

later, Simone's assistant

herself in the back garden and began to play

faded, Simone turned and asked, "Joshua,

the violin music you

frowned, lost

are some similarities,

strange tension knotted in Simone's chest. "But

at her, unable to hide his

vet

Rachel's Right now, your playing doesn't even measure up to Rachel's... Maybe

had always been the object of admiration, had never seen anyone look

a few days I'll

Joshua agreed without hesitation.

Simone threw herself into relentless violin practice, day

down invitations from

couldn't accept being

hold of Simone, Aurora decided to visit

fingers, red and swollen from hours of

weren't you always the one who hated pain? How did you let

her sore fingers. "I want Joshua to