The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1038

A string of indecipherable code flickered across the laptop screen, but she hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

Joshua commented, “I didn’t hire any hackers. You can never pin down who these people are online—could be working for anyone, really. When evidence this crucial involves the heads of two families, if a hacker found out, they’d probably auction it off to the highest bidder, just to destroy it for good. Even if the evidence wasn’t destroyed, the moment you tip your hand, the other side starts preparing. There’d be no way to bring Leonard down in one blow.”

That’s why, when Abby asked him about it, Joshua hadn’t told her a thing.

Abby would never betray Stella’s confidence, but she had a habit of blurting things out. There was always the risk she might slip.

Stella turned, studying Joshua intently. “You know about hacking?”

Joshua shrugged. “A little.”

“A little? That’s what you call ‘a little’?”

He smiled. “Hacking a phone isn’t nearly as tough as breaking into a computer. These days, smartphones have basically zero privacy. With just a bit of access to someone’s photo album, you can get inside their whole device.”

Joshua made it sound easy, but Stella was certain there was more to it than that.

As they talked, the car pulled up in front of The Williams Group headquarters.

The building was nothing short of imposing—one of the world’s most powerful family corporations, with an office tower that soared a hundred stories high. Every project under The Williams Group’s expansive umbrella had a place here, not to mention the other branches scattered across different cities and countries.

The moment Stella stepped inside, the receptionist greeted her with a bright, professional smile.

“Good morning, miss. How can I help you?”

Stella replied, “I’m here to see Israel.”

Meanwhile, Israel lounged in his office, phone in hand, perfectly at ease.

He was waiting for Stella to call him from the lobby, begging to be let upstairs. That was when he’d humiliate her—make her wait, maybe even turn her away, and let everyone at The Williams Group witness her embarrassment. It would be her first lesson in humility.

As Israel rehearsed all the ways he’d shame her, a knock sounded at the door.

Assuming it was his assistant, he called out, “Come in.”

But when he looked up and saw who entered, the smug smile froze on his face.

“Stella? What are you doing here?”