The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1021

The faces of the Williams family darkened, each one of them struggling to maintain composure.

None of them had expected Stella to play the victim, much less act so clueless.

Israel, ever the hothead, was the first to snap. He jabbed a finger at Stella, his voice sharp with anger. “Go on, keep pretending! Don’t think for a second that we don’t know exactly what you’ve done.”

Stella looked genuinely surprised. “Judging by your reaction, Israel, it seems you already know who’s been after me. Funny, I must be the only one here who hasn’t a clue what horrible thing I’ve supposedly done—or who I’ve supposedly offended.”

She turned to him with a pleading, almost innocent look. “So, tell me, what unforgivable crime did I commit to warrant being hunted down?”

Israel opened his mouth, blurting out, “You clearly—” but the words caught in his throat. He realized, too late, that Stella’s preemptive questioning had cornered them.

“Hunted down,” “left for dead,” “nearly killed,” “enemy”—the words she’d used were damning, and all too accurate. Israel felt as if he’d just been slapped, his face burning with humiliation. He knew Stella wasn’t exaggerating; everything she said was true.

In that moment, Israel silently blamed Coleman. Why did he have to escalate things so much?

The Williams family exchanged uneasy glances, none of them willing to speak up.

It was Skyler who finally broke the silence, forcing a smile. “Star, did you just go to the airport to see a friend off?”

Stella nodded. “That’s right. My friend’s flight was today. You can check the records if you want.”

She glanced at Jonathan. “Earlier, my brother called me, thinking I was trying to run away. I rushed back as soon as I could so he wouldn’t get the wrong idea. Who would’ve thought I’d get caught up in something like this on the way, delaying me so long?”

She let out a heavy sigh. “I’m truly sorry, everyone. It all happened so suddenly—I didn’t mean to waste your time.”

Joshua’s tone was light. “Oh? Then maybe you shouldn’t.”

The room fell silent for a beat.

Leonard set his cup down. “So, you’re saying you have no evidence and want to wriggle out of this?”

If things had gone according to plan, Stella would’ve stepped forward to confess. But Joshua had just claimed to have found proof…

For a moment, Stella said nothing.

Joshua gave a faint smile. “How could we? Slandering the head of the Lerman family is a serious crime. Not only would Star be cast out by her own family, but she’d have to hand over her original shares, too.”