The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

At first, Stella had been wary of Joshua-so much so that she never dared show him her prized violin, Nocturne Stella, afraid he might be getting close just to sabotage her.

But after spending so much time together, she realized she'd misjudged him. Her suspicion seemed petty in hindsight; Joshua had only ever helped her.

He'd saved her more than once, always there when she needed him most.

As Abby put it, an all-rounder like Joshua was worth every penny, even at a six- figure salary.

Whenever trouble came knocking, Joshua proved indispensable.

When Karl had come looking for trouble with Candida, it was Joshua's timely arrival that saved her from what could have been a nasty scene.

And that car accident-not only had Joshua made the right call, he'd kept his head, and they'd all gotten out safely because of him.

To be honest, having Joshua around made Stella feel safe in a way she hadn't in a long time.

But now that Joshua had regained his memory, it was clear he'd be leaving soon.

A sense of loss and reluctance grew in the back of her mind.

He was just too good-handsome, dependable, and amazing with kids.

Both Keen and Marvin idolized him.

Stella didn't know exactly who Joshua was, but his manners and the way he carried himself made it obvious he was no ordinary guy.

was only a matter of

couldn't even remember when she'd stopped wishing he'd recover his memory and leave as soon as

to give him a generous bonus to

say another

Neither did Stella.

silence until they

had just closed

"Star."

turned back to

said, quietly, "My name

she could respond, he

stood there, watching the taillights disappear down the street, unable to

day, Joshua didn't

noticed right away and looked surprised. "Huh? Where's Joshua? He didn't come with you today? Did you ask him what happenedo yesterday?"

got his memory

look of understanding crossed Abby's face. "That

yesterday. So... what

Stella asked, genuinely

only spell it out. "Did you even try to get him to stay? He's the perfect assistant-can handle anything, acts as a bodyguard, and he's good-looking to boot.

has here, we should just offer him more

an