The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Usually, while Stella was busy handling paperwork in her office, Joshua would be resting in his own.

Stella had set up a separate office just for Joshua.

It wasn't just an ordinary workspace-besides a computer, TV, and gaming console, there was also a bed and a private bathroom. Whenever he had nothing else to do, Joshua could watch TV, play games, or even take a nap.

That evening, Stella received a call from the project team. There was an important contract to sign that night, and the company needed a senior representative to attend in person.

After hanging up, Stella was about to call Joshua and ask him to get ready. But then she paused, realizing he'd seemed a little off lately-quieter than usual, with a subdued mood. Work had kept her so busy that she'd hardly had time to check in on him.

Thinking it over, she decided to go find Joshua herself and see if he was having any trouble.

As she passed the break room, Stella overheard two women talking.

One was saying, "Vivian, just give it up. Honestly, Joshua doesn't seem interested in women at all. Don't set yourself up for disappointment. Remember that cute assistant from admin? She brought him homemade lunches for a whole week, and he didn't even glance at them—just tossed them straight in the trash. And last time, when Natasha 'accidentally' tripped and tried to fall into his arms-guess what happened? He pushed her away so hard she chipped a tooth! Not to mention, he's got a razor-sharp tongue. There was a girl who confessed to him, and he made her cry with just a few words. You're still new here, so you probably don't know all this. Trust me, steer clear-he's seriously eccentric."

woman sounded like she was on

and he said my perfume was disgusting and called me ugly.

when she heard Joshua's name, she

this really the Joshua she

first woman continued,

Likes men?

No way.

memory surfaced-Joshua once mentioning someone he'd loved dearly, someone out of reach. She wondered how things were between him

made her

wasn't there, but she could hear water running from the bathroom. He must have been taking a

She decided to wait.

the first day, when she set up the office

She idly picked a few off the shelf flipping

belongs to s