The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 2033

Abby had a sinking feeling that even though Stella and Joshua were completely separated, the ghost of him would haunt her forever. You could pack away every physical reminder of a man, but some imprints were simply too deep to erase. Stella was living in a world built on Joshua's lingering influence—could she ever truly move on?

Shaking off the thought, Abby leaned forward. "This intelligence changes everything for us right now. What's their endgame? Are they trying to sabotage our operations to undermine our standing in the company? Is this payback for Aurora?"

"I doubt it's that straightforward," Stella murmured.

Abby couldn't wrap her head around what the Burton family was plotting. "Star, should we just stonewall their demands so we don't walk into a trap?"

Stella shook her head, a calculated edge to her voice. "No. Give them what they want. Let's see exactly how much rope they need to hang themselves."

Despite her confusion, Abby trusted Stella implicitly and followed the order.

The very next day, Stella's phone rang. It was Haynes O'Brien. She had explicitly told him to report any sudden movements from Queenie.

"Star, Queenie just reached out again," Haynes said. "She claims she has some massive, earth-shattering secret about you, and she's begging me to meet her."

Stella arched a brow. "Did she give you a time?"

"Not yet. She said I could pick the schedule."

Stella rapidly pieced the puzzle together in her mind. A faint smirk touched her lips. "Agree to it."

If it weren't for Stella, Haynes wouldn't give a woman like Queenie the time of day. "Alright," he replied smoothly. "Consider it done."

Abby smirked. "If he actually manages to marry into all that old money, his little humiliating comeback tour will have been worth it."

Stella leaned back in her chair. "I have a pretty good idea of what Queenie is planning. Honestly, when a woman decides to get vicious, the men don't even stand a chance. Jonathan's trap needs a little more time to ripen. Have Haynes stall Queenie for now. I'm going to take them both off the board in one sweeping move."

Catching on immediately, Abby asked, "Queenie was psychotic enough to target Keen. Isn't this letting her off too easy?"

"Haynes has been incredibly helpful to me lately, and he's terrible at navigating toxic women. Consider this a favor to him," Stella replied coolly. "This kind of warfare gets dirty fast, so let's keep the innocent bystanders out of it. Jonathan and Queenie are cut from the same rotten cloth. Let's toss them in a cage together and watch them tear each other apart. With any luck, they'll destroy their own alliance from the inside out."

Stella met Abby's eyes, her gaze sharp. "It's time to pull Miss Hayser's socialite friends—and her worst enemy—into the fray."