The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Karl had no interest in discussing the subject further. He cut in, "Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don't you look into that woman's background? Find out whether she approached Grandpa on purpose."

At that, Sherman let it go and didn't push back any further.

Backstage, Stella's phone rang. It was Mr. Burton.

"Stella, so many old friends showed up today. Things are a bit hectic on my end, so I'm afraid I can't come by to see you. Just stick to the performance schedule we agreed on. After it's over, I'll introduce you to the old timers," he said, his voice barely rising above the lively chatter in the background.

"Don't worry about us, I'll take care of everything here," Stella assured him before hanging up and checking the time.

She quickly started organizing the group. "Anthony, you'll open with a solo."

Anthony was well-known-even if the elderly guests didn't recognize him, having him start the show would set the right tone for this charity concert.

But instead of replying, Anthony just stared off into space, lost in thought. Lately, he'd seemed out of sorts, making mistakes even during rehearsals-something he'd never done before. Was he still hung up on what happened last time?

As Stella mulled it over, Candida returned. This time, Stella had included Candida in the setlist. Both she and Anthony played violin, as did Marvin. Too many similar performances could easily tire the audience, so Stella wanted Candida to bridge the pieces with a piano interlude. Mr. Burton had agreed to the suggestion and encouraged her to take charge.

It might have been a small concert for seniors, but for Stella, it was her first real public performance and she was determined for it to go well.

Noticing something off about Candida's expression, Stella asked, "Candida, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

Candida hesitated before answering honestly, "I think I just saw my ex-boyfriend."

"Your ex?" Stella echoed.

Candida nodded. "A bunch of people arrived just now I saw him among them. My ex-boyfriend."

Abby, who'd been listening, looked

Are you sure it was b

most of the guests tod?? I

are

d to be seniors, aren't they?"

"His name is Karl Burton," Candida replied. "Do you think he might be related to Mr. Burton?"

When she firsNearned Mr. Burton's last name, the idea never crossed her mind. After all, there were plenty of people named Burton in the world Besides, from what Stella and Abby had told her, Mr. Burtonwas just an aging doctor who wanted to tréat some local retirees to a concert before he retired. He'd even spent most of his life savings to rent such a fancy venue.

But seeing Karl just now had made her wonder Karl came from an influential family. If she hadn't stood by his side through thick and his parents never would have

accepted her. Given his band,

could there really be a connection to Mr. Burton?

Stella and Abby exchanged glances.

“I've helped Mr. Burton for so long,” Stella said, “but I've never once met any of hisnoveldrama

family."