The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Harold's eyes widened, a sense of dread creeping over him. "Mr. Gardner, the Lerman estate is crawling with elite guards and assassins. It's far too dangerous to go in there recklessly."

Joshua had succeeded last time because Leonard was out of the country. But Solmaris was the Lerman family's stronghold. As powerful as Joshua was, he wasn't invincible.

Harold knew Joshua was determined to eliminate Leonard. He tried a different approach. "Mr. Gardner, perhaps we should bring in more of our people and have them handle it."

"The Lerman estate is Leonard's turf," Joshua countered. "No matter how many men we bring, he'll always have more. Solmaris is a hub for major families; a large movement of personnel would attract unwanted attention. The more people we have, the easier it is to tip him off. If he senses us coming, we could be wiped out."

The Lerman family had the home-field advantage. Taking out Leonard amidst his own defenses would be no easy feat.

turning cold, "this is something I have to

broadcast on his device. "Mr. Gardner, why

have affected his judgment. But Joshua hadn't completely lost

with a chilling

would have been difficult. But that was a secondary concern. The primary reason was that Joshua would not allow Stuart to slander Stella. If Stuart had survived, he would have twisted the story, painting Stella as the aggressor. In he-said-she-said confrontation, Stuart's vulgar nature would

to let her suffer even the

Gardner, killing Stuart created more problems than it solved. Next time

the same thing happens again," Joshua cut him off, his voice laced with menace, "I will make the same choice. Anyone who touches