The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 851

Stella suspected it probably had something to do with Simone.

She didn’t ask any further.

…

After Stella and Joshua left, Aurora turned to Simone.

“So? Did he buy it?”

Simone shook her head. “Hard to say. I think he’s half-convinced, half-doubtful. Still, he’s not nearly as cold as before.”

Aurora shrugged. “It’s normal for him to have his suspicions. If he just swallowed everything you said, he’d either be a terrible liar or a complete idiot. And if he were that much of a fool, you wouldn’t even look at him twice.”

Simone nodded in agreement. “True. But he did let slip some useful things.”

Aurora was always the sharper one. Simone shared what Joshua had told her, laying it all out for Aurora to help her sort through what was true and what might be a trap. Simone wasn’t naïve enough to take Joshua at his word—what if he was deliberately trying to test her?

After listening, Aurora laughed lightly. “If you really want to know if he’s telling the truth, there’s an easy way. Ask Rachel. She’ll know.”

Simone paused, surprised. “You think Joshua and Rachel know each other? If that’s the case… then maybe Joshua has a whole other reason for staying close to Stella.”

Aurora shook her head. “We can’t be sure yet. But Rachel’s out of options right now—we could try to probe her.”

Simone smiled. “Aurora, you’re brilliant. I never would have thought of that.”

A thought seemed to strike her, and she grinned. “Good thing you had me wear Stella’s old earring. It’s a bit worn, not quite the same as the new one. If I’d worn the freshly made pair, Joshua might have noticed something was off.”

After Jasper had handled things, he’d promised to get her out—but it would take time. Haynes was still furious, after all. Rachel didn’t want to stay locked up, so she’d tried to reach Joshua. What unsettled her was that Joshua hadn’t answered any of her calls. She’d been in trouble for days, and he hadn’t visited or contacted her once. But stuck in jail, all she could do was wait for Jasper to pull strings.

Thankfully, Jasper had given the guards a heads-up. Other than her lack of freedom and limited contact with the outside world, her life inside wasn’t much different from outside. That was a comfort.

Still, the sudden visit from Simone and Aurora caught her off guard.

“Is there something you need from me?” she asked warily.

Aurora didn’t waste time. “Ms. Pearce, do you know Joshua?”

So they were here fishing for information about him.

Rachel hid a smirk, glancing at Simone, feigning confusion. “Ms. Williams, you’ve asked me that before, and I already answered.”