The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Chapter 572

Chapter 572

Stella couldn't help but laugh. "Haynes, haven't you figured it out yet? | don't want to lend the piano-not because

I'm worried about my own concert. It's just... | can't stand Rachel. I'd rather smash the piano to pieces than let

her touch it."

She looked him straight in the eye, as if daring him to challenge her. "I hope that's clear enough for you."

The room seemed to freeze, the silence thick and heavy.

Haynes' handsface darkened. "Even if you had nothing to do with the kidnapping, Rachel is the one who

saved Keen. Stella, do you really value this piano more than a violin? Look at it another way—when things turned

dangerous, Rachel distracted the kidnapper. She saved you, too, indirectly."

His eyes dark, bottomless-were full of disappointment as he fixed them on Stella. “Doesn't my decision make you

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feel anything at all?"

Keen, who'd been silent until now, looked up at Stella, worry flickering in his gaze.

But Stella didn't look at him. Instead, her tone turned cold. "Objects are just things -people are what matter. If

you ever madechoose between Keen and the piano, | wouldn't hesitate for a second. I'd choose Keen every

time."

Her voice grew even icier. "But if you wantto hand the piano over to the real mastermind behind the

kidnapping? I'd sooner destroy it myself."

Foreman, always eager to keep the peace, chimed in, "The mastermind? Are you saying... Ms. Pearce is the one

pulling the strings?"

Stella shot Rachel a sideways glance, her smile sharp as a blade. "Why did the kidnapper insist | be the one to

bring the ransom? Why makechoose between two impossible options? Sure, he spun sstory about his

grudge with Haynes, but who's to say any of that was real? And then, in front of Rachel and Keen, he starts

acting friendly toward me—just tossing out a few words, and suddenly everyone thinks I'm in cahoots with him?"

She shook her head, her laughter bitter. "Honestly, don't you find it ridiculous? If | really knew the kidnapper,

wouldn't he try to hide it? Why make it so obvious in front of Rachel and Keen? Was he just playing games, or

was he trying to makethe target?"

Her lips twisted into a half-smile, half-sneer. "No matter what | say, you never believe me. Yet you take a

criminal's word as gospel. It's laughable."

Rachel shrank under Stella's gaze, cold sweat prickling at her neck. Stella was too sharp-no wonder Joshua had

said her plan was full of holes Thank God Joshua had stepped in to clean up the mess; otherwise, Stella might

have caught her slip already.

Stella had said everything she needed to. She refused to waste another second on people who didn't matter.

Without another word, she turned and walked out of the hospital room.

Haynes' eyes darkened. Instinctively, he started to follow, but Foreman stepped in, blocking his way.

"Haynes, this whole thing still hasn't been properly investigated. We shouldn't have rushed to drag Ms. Cameron

here. It's not fair to her."

Rachel scowled in silence. When Jasper had suggested bringing Stella in, Foreman had kept his mouth shut. But

now that Stella was here, he suddenly wanted to play the good guy. Hypocrite.

Rachel realized that every tshe and Stella clashed, Foreman always acted the mediator, but somehow, he