The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Stella turned to Antoney. "What's wrong?"

Antoney hesitated, then asked, "If you don't go back to the Williams family, everything that belongs to them will have nothing to do with you anymore. Are you really okay with that?"

Stella was surprised to hear Antoney say something like that. He was always the idealist, never one to care much about money or property. If he had, he wouldn't have turned down his own father, Nicolle Watson, all those years ago.

Stella answered honestly, "If it's not mine, I don't waste my time thinking about it.” Antoney pressed, "But what if you were supposed to have a share?"

She paused to consider. “If it's not mine, I don't want it. But if it is, then no one's taking it from me."noveldrama

Antoney glanced at his watch, silently calculating. The founder's original shares would be maturing at the end of the year. When that happened, the lawyers and the company's old guard would definitely reach out to Stella. On one side was the career she loved, and on the other, the shares Nora had left behind. He wondered what Stella would choose.

No one but Antoney knew about the shares Nora had left Stella-not even Stella herself. The Williams family was completely in the dark. If they'd known, they never would have driven her out. But once the shares matured, the truth would come out. And knowing those four scheming men in the Williams clan, they'd move heaven and earth to pressure Stella into transferring the shares.

She might look untouchable now, but taking on those four calculating men would be a real challenge.

After the concert, Antoney would have to hurry back to his own family. When the time came, Stella would need all the help she could get to claim what was hers.

For now, though, he would let her focus on the competition.

It wasn't long before Joshua arrived. The group ordered dinner and the restaurant soon filled with laughter and chatter as they ate together.

Once the meat was over, Stella remembered she'd left something important back at the studio. She asked Abby to take Marvin back to her place and keep him company for a while. Stella would swing by the studio to pick up her things, then stop at the market to buy groceries for a big dinner that evening.

Abby, ever the foodie, had been coming over for Stella's cooking ever since her divorce. The moment she heard Stella was cooking tonight, she high-fived Marvin

in delight and immediately started requesting dishes.

Stella jotted down their favorites, then got ready to head out.

Neville wanted to tag along, but work called him back to the office. He needed to finish up the next couple days' tasks so he could carve out time to spend with Marvin-well, if he was honest, he really wanted more time with Stella.

Joshua drove Stella and Candida back to the studio. Candida planned to practice piano. Stella, who would have loved a few days off, didn't have the luxury-unlike the boss, she couldn't just disappear. She was different from Abby and Antoney; just because she was friends with Stella didn't mean she could be casual about things. Besides, she genuinely wanted to improve her piano skills. She'd already wasted too much time over Karl. With someone as gifted as Stella working so hard, she couldn't let herself fall behind.

As they got out of the car, Stella said to Joshua, "Wait here, I'll be down in just a minute."

He nodded.

Stella and Candida chatted as they walked toward the studio. Just as they reached the door, Stella suddenly stopped.

Candida noticed the change in her expression. "Stella, what's wrong?"

She followed Stella's gaze—and her own face fell at the sight of the familiar figure standing there.

It was Karl.

She hadn't seen him in a long time. Ever since their breakup, she'd completely stopped keeping tabs on him.