The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Chapter 1253

Foreman knelt numbly, his fingers trembling as he picked up the broken pieces.

Stella had never seen him like this before, and a wave of guilt washed over her. "Foreman, are you okay?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

He didn't look up, his expression lost in shadow. After a long moment, he finally managed a hoarse, "I'm fine."

"Foreman, Joshua didn't do it on purpose," Stella tried to explain. "Please don't be angry with him. The music box..."

Before she could finish, Joshua cut in. "Don't worry, Mr. Richards. I'll find a way to have it repaired, or I'll track down that sculptor and commission an identical one."

*Identical?* Foreman scoffed inwardly. This music box was one of a kind. There would never be another one like it.

His gaze drifted to her desk and landed on the preserved rose, the very one he had once thrown to the ground, causing a few petals to fall. It now sat in a place of honor, the most prominent spot in her office.

line of sight and her eyes

almost lunchtime. Let me

lowered his

tone-deaf. She turned to him. "Joshua, you'll have to get lunch on your

didn't argue. "Okay. Call me if you need

It wasn't the way a boss spoke to a subordinate; it was the easy intimacy of a long-term

fragments on the floor, his eyes dark and unreadable.

in hand. Harold was waiting in a

"Have this examined. See if

said, taking the

as Harold drove off, a soft, pleasant

"Joshua."

been a while. Have you been busy? She sounded like an old friend, her tone casual and free of any