The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 824

Foreman knew exactly what was eating at Stella.

Rachel—she would always be the thorn in Stella’s side.

That was why, back then, when Rachel set her up and accused her of all kinds of things, Foreman didn’t step forward with evidence to clear Stella’s name. He wanted Stella to see for herself just how her own husband would side with another woman.

Only then, Foreman thought, would she finally give up on Haynes for good.

Stella took a moment to recall, her voice calm. “I’m not sure if they know each other. But as far as I can tell, nothing on my end has ever been leaked. In fact, while Joshua’s been by my side, he’s saved me more than once.”

Foreman’s tone was cautious. “Or maybe it’s just an act—maybe they staged it to win your trust.”

Stella didn’t like to assume the worst about people, but she couldn’t deny it was possible. After all, Sherman Burton had once fooled her in much the same way.

She knew Foreman meant well, so she replied quietly, “I understand. I’ll be careful.”

Foreman smiled lightly and let it drop. Some things were better left unsaid; push too far, and Stella would just shut down.

Changing the subject, Foreman said, “Star, what are you planning to do about Haynie?”

If Stella chose to trust Joshua for now, the only card left to play was to drive a wedge between her and Haynes—until their relationship was beyond repair.

And if Stella cut ties with Haynes and then sent Joshua packing, well, that would be a double win.

Stella’s laugh was cold. “If Haynes wants to paint Joshua in a bad light right now, then he can’t blame me for exposing Rachel.”

She held more than enough dirt on Rachel—hard evidence, and plenty of it.

Joshua’s hands stilled on the controller for just a second.

Abby pressed on, “So what’s your plan? Are you going to try and suppress the gossip?”

Stella shook her head. “These kinds of rumors never really go away. Even if you manage to silence the press, people will just talk about it behind closed doors. The more you try to shut it down, the more curious they get. Besides, Haynes is controlling the narrative now—shutting it down won’t be easy.”

Abby glanced at her. “So, what are you thinking?”

Stella’s lips curved into a cool smile. “Abby, it’s time to let Rachel’s scandals see the light of day. The best way to kill off one story is to hit them with something even bigger.”

Abby’s eyes widened. “You want to do it now? But the concert with Rachel isn’t for another month! If you leak the story so early, Haynes will have plenty of time to do damage control.”

It wasn’t exactly too soon, but Abby’s plan was to wait until three to five days before the concert. That way, Rachel would be buried in scandal just as the curtain rose—leaving her with an empty theater and no audience at all.