The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

The next morning, Stella, Marvin, Antoney, and the others arrived early at the concert venue.

As they stepped into the hall, Abby took in the opulent surroundings, her eyes wide with amazement.

"I thought after so many years as an agent, I'd seen just about everything. Turns out, being broke really does limit your imagination. This place is next-level extravagant!"

Stella, too, looked around, taking in the lavish décor. Despite having spent years with the Williams family, she'd been a student back then and had rarely set foot in exclusive clubs like this-let alone a concert venue so luxurious.

The hall wasn't huge, with seating for maybe a thousand people. It wasn't suitable for a massive concert or arena show, but for a private performance like this, it was absolutely perfect.

Before long, Neville arrived.

Abby greeted him with surprise. "Mr. Connolly, what brings you here so early?"

Neville smiled. "Thought I'd come by in advance and see if there's anything I can help with."

His gaze landed on the violin in Stella's hands.

"You didn't bring Nocturne Stella with you today?"

Stella nodded. “Nocturne Stella's in the shop for maintenance. Today I'm using my usual violin."

She cherished the instrument her mother had left her and rarely took it out unless necessary. Originally, she'd planned to use Nocturne Stella for this performance, but a couple of days ago, there'd been an issue with the strings, so she'd sent it in for adjustment.

Nocturne Stella had a distinct tone, different from any other violin. Anyone with a sensitive ear would notice the difference right away.

Neville nodded, then turned to Stella. "Star, my friend told me that the recording on your phone was destroyed by a top-tier hacker. But I've already contacted someone who specializes in audio recovery. It'll take some time, but we're working on it."

He hesitated, apologetic. "I'm really sorry, Star.”

Stella shook her head, not blaming him at all.

"Even if it wasn't you, if I'd found someone else to recover it, it would

probably have been wiped too. Someone clearly doesn't want that recording to see the light of

ver

day they'll do whatever it takes to destroy it."

Stella had already figured things out. If the recording could be deleted from Neville's phone, it wouldn't have survived long on hers, either.

As for Neville himself, she admitted she'd harbored a sliver of suspicion toward him. But she'd been through that kind of calculated approach before. Neville didn't give her the same feeling as Sherman.

Sherman talked a big game about cutting ties with Aurora, but when she really thought about it, he'd never actually harmed Aurora at all.

Still... who did help Rachel delete that recording?

If someone could

erase files from

Neville's device, Jasper definitely didn't have the skills. Haynes, though, possibly could. But would Rachebreally trust Haynes enough to tell him about it? Or maybe she lied to him, claiming her phone had dirt that could hurt her, hoping he'd help her get rid of it?

Haynesnoveldrama

In the past, Haynes would've helped her without a second thought. But by now, even Stella could see that Haynes trust in Rachel had worn thin. Deleting something from her phone without question seemed unlikely-especially since Stella herself had been present that day and had spoken up.

Haynes wasn't that gullible.

Unable to make sense of it, Stella finally let the matter drop.

"Let's get ready. Mr. Burton should be arriving soon."

...

O'Brien Manor.

Early that morning, Deanna and Callie were already up, making preparations for

the evening's banquet at Mr. Burton's estate.