NovelTrueStella paused, caught off guard. "Why are you looking atlike that?"
Joshua said, "It's the first tI've realized | actually have so many good qualities."
Stella grinned. "There's another important quality | forgot to mention."
Joshua looked at her, a touch of anticipation in his eyes. "What's that?" She replied, "You're in great shape. And,
well, you're really handsome." Joshua couldn't help but laugh, and Stella joined in, their laughter mingling and
filling the room.
That was the scene Abby walked in on as she pushed open the door-a moment of unexpected harmony that
made her pause. Strangely enough, back when Joshua had spent so much taround Stella, she'd never
noticed this sense of ease between them before.
Hearing the door, Stella turned. "Abby, you're here?"
Abby nodded. "The lab's sent over the results."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
Stella's expression turned serious. "What did they find?"
"It was definitely tampered with someone did it on purpose," Abby said. "And the employee who brought the car
back yesterday? He's gone missing."
Stella didn't look surprised. "That was fast."
Abby continued, "There's something else. This morning, | saw the new stories and rumors about Joshua online."
She hesitated, then added, "I had Neville look into the people making those posts. Turns out, all of them have
business ties to The O'Brien Group."
She risked a glance at Stella. “But... that still doesn't prove Haynes is behind it."
"Is there anyone else, besides Haynes, who'd want to do this?" Stella asked.
Abby was silent for a moment. Aside from Haynes, she couldn't think of anyone with a motive.
Suddenly, a thought struck her. "Star, if you want to know whether Haynes is behind this, why not just ask
Foreman Richards directly?"
Stella's eyes lit up. Of course she could just call Foreman.
She was reaching for her phone when it started ringing on its own. Foreman's nflashed on the screen.
"I'll take this outside," Stella said, getting up and stepping out into the hallway to answer the call.
Left alone, Abby did what she always did-offered Joshua a bit of comfort. "Joshua, don't worry about those things
people are saying online. We all know you're not that kind of person."
Her words were soothing, but for sreason, it was Stella's earlier reassurance
that truly warmed Joshua's heart and put him at ease.
He nodded. "Don't worry, Abby. Star and | will handle it."
Abby blinked in surprise. Star? Except for Neville and Marvin, everyone else—even Candida-called Stella "Star." It
was just how things were; their working relationship had always been relaxed, more like friends than colleagues.
But Joshua had always addressed her as "Ms. Cameron." To suddenly hear him call her "Star" caught Abby off
guard.
Still, if even Haynes-of all people-used that nickname, there was nothing odd about Joshua doing the same.
Maybe it was Stella's willingness to help him this tthat had moved him.
Joshua's voice pulled her back to the present. "You really trust Foreman that much?"
Abby nodded. "Of course. Foreman isn't like Jasper or Haynes. When Star was framed by Rachel and everyone
else stayed silent,
Foreman was the only one whol
stood by her. Even during Star's divorce from Haynes, Foreman
helped her more than anyone else. If it weren't for him, with the way Jasper and Rachel play their games, it
would've been all too easy for them to win-let alone for Star to fight back."
She smiled. "Thanks to Foreman, Star managed to turn things around on them
more than once."
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