The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Neville wore an easygoing smile, utterly unfazed by the confrontation.

Jonathan, on the other hand, looked positively livid, though he reluctantly lowered his hand.

With a cold sneer, he spat out a single word, not even bothering to direct it at anyone in particular.

"Idiot."

He had already pieced together exactly how the accident had happened.noveldrama

His plan had been simple: give Stella a public dressing down in front of Sellers, then smooth things over and let the whole incident fade away.

Stella's motives were all too obvious there was no point in even trying to defend her.

Under the circumstances, settling privately was the safest route.

He'd slap Stella, make her apologize to Sellers, and with the longstanding friendship between the Williams and Burton families, Aurora would step in to plead for leniency.

No one had been seriously hurt, after all; the matter could have been swept quietly under the rug.

But these two just had to interfere.

Clearly, they weren't as sharp as they thought.

Compared to Aurora, Stella's friends and admirers really were a sorry bunch. Even with Mr. Burton backing them, they were hopelessly out of their depth. With a derisive snort, Jonathan dismissed Stella, turning his back on her. If she refused to accept his help, then she could deal with the fallout herself. Sellers, shrewd as ever, saw right through Jonathan's little scheme.

If Jonathan had managed to land that slap and Aurora had pleaded on Stella's behalf, Sellers would've been hard-pressed to push the matter any further.

But with Haynes and Neville stepping in, the situation had taken a different turn— one Sellers found much more to his liking.

He'd been wanting to teach Stella a lesson for a long time.

A police officer stepped forward. "Who called emergency services and reported that this young lady attempted murder?"

Sherman spoke up. "Officer, we've already given you the dashcam footage. Her actions were clearly an attempt on our lives."

The officer repeated what Lawyer Whitman had said earlier.

Sherman's face twisted in disbelief, then he actually let out a short, bitter laugh. "That's outrageous. I don't buy it for a second."

The officer turned to Stella. "Miss Cameron, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Stella smiled calmly. "Intent and motive are key in any crime, especially murder. So, Mr. Sherman, what possible reason would I have to want you dead?"

Sherman replied, "First, Aurora was in your car. You've never liked her and wanted to use this as an opportunity to get rid of her. Second, you got into an argument with my uncle at the auction-you're taking revenge. Third-" He fixed her with a cold stare. "I was in the car too. You resent what happened in the past."

Stella listened, then nodded lightly. "Well summed up. Anything else?" Sherman's voice was icy. "That's all. Let's hear your performance now."

Stella didn't let herself get angry. Getting emotional only clouds one's judgment.

"About your first point-I have to clarify something. There's no bad blood between Aurora and me. You can ask her yourself, or anyone from the Williams family, for that matter. Besides, she's my biological sister. Why would I want to harm my own family?"

The officer turned to Aurora. "Is that true?"

Aurora nodded gently. "Yes, there's no conflict between me and Stella."

Jonathan's expression was thunderous, but even he wasn't foolish enough to send his own sister to jail.

He spoke in a low voice. "I've never seen Stella and Aurora have any issues."

Stella continued, "As for your second point, Mr. Sherman, that's even more ridiculous. I'd never even met Mr. Sellers before today-I didn't even know who he was. In fact, it was Mr. Sellers who sought me out at the auction, not the other way around. If you don't believe me, check the security footage from the auction's hallway."

She paused, fixing Sherman with a slight, enigmatic smile.

"And finally..."