The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Rachel's eyes flickered, though her gaze remained fixed on Aurora's earrings.

"Ms. Williams, would you mind taking them off so I can have a closer look?"

It was a bold request, bordering on rude, but Rachel was past caring about

manners.

Aurora glanced over at Haynes. Seeing he didn't object, she gave a polite smile.

"Of course."

She unfastened her earrings and handed them to Rachel.

Rachel examined them carefully.

The design was exquisite—each drop carved from emerald-green jade, delicate patterns etched into the surface. The two earrings weren't identical; their patterns mirrored each other, left and right.

Rachel couldn't help but feel a wave of relief. Thank God she hadn't tried to forge them.

The moment Joshua had shown her the earring, she'd known it was something extraordinary.

The gemstones alone were worth a fortune, and the craftsmanship-flawless, impossible to replicate.

She studied the earring in her palm.

It was identical to the one Joshua had given her.

Earrings like these-only someone like Aurora, born into wealth, could ever wear them.

Could Aurora be the one who lost the earring?

"Ms. Williams, if you don't mind my asking, how many pairs of these earrings do you have?"

Aurora answered, "Just the one."

Rachel pressed on. "Have you ever lost an earring before?"

Aurora glanced at her. "No, never."

Reluctantly, Rachel handed the earrings back.

She wanted them, badly.

But Aurora wasn't like Stella-she wasn't someone Rachel could just take from on a whim.

Aurora didn't lack for money, and besides, these were a birthday gift from her father.

No matter how much Rachel wanted them, there was no way she could get her hands on them, not even by asking.

All she could do was confirm whether Aurora was the one who'd lost an earring.

Thankfully, although Aurora owned the pair, she wasn't the person Rachel was looking for.noveldrama

...

Stella soon returned to practicing the piano.

With the concert just around the corner, she had no time to waste on irrelevant people or pointless distractions.

That afternoon, she and Candida were rehearsing "Starlit Night" together when Abby walked back in with takeout.

"Enough practice, you two! Time for lunch!"

Candida turned, gesturing for Abby to keep her voice down. She nodded toward a corner of the rehearsal room.

Abby followed her gaze and spotted Joshua, fast asleep on the sofa.

Her eyes widened. "He's out again? Seriously, how do you two start playing and he just drifts off? Was he up all night gaming or something? What time did he even go to bed?"

Stella shook her head. "I doubt it's video games. The doctor said

insomni probably just has

sleep at night.”

Over the past few weeks, Stella and Abby had taken Joshua to the hospital several times for checkups.

His condition hadn't improved-in fact, it only turned out he suffered from chronic insomnia.

Normally, Joshua was quiet,

hardworking, always quick to help. Even Antoney Watson, who'd been openly suspicious of him at first, had Come around quickly.

No sooner had the music faded than Joshua stirred awake.

His sleep was so light that even the smallest noise brought him back to consciousness.

Stella suspected that maybe he was always on guard, never really able to let his guard down.

Joshua glanced at his watch and raised an eyebrow.

"I can't believe I slept that long."

Stella smiled. "Come on, let's eat."

As Candida snapped apart a pair of disposable chopsticks, she turned to Stella.

"Star, don't you think we're not practicing enough with Mr. Watson? Is that going to be a problem for the performance?"