The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Stella's stubbornness was almost hard to believe.noveldrama

“Stella, about Sherman—" Jonathan began, but before he could finish, Skyler cleared his throat softly, cutting him off.

"Jonathan, let bygones be bygones. There's no need to bring up the past," Skyler said, his tone gentle and easygoing. He turned to Stella with a warm smile. "You really are your mother's daughter-strong-willed and proud. Come on, enough standing around. Let's all have a seat."

Stella took her place beside Keen. "Keen, are you alright?"

The fear that had clouded Keen's face earlier had faded. He nodded, his voice steady. "I'm okay, Mom. For a second, I thought something bad was happening again..."

He glanced toward Aurora. "But thankfully, Ms. Williams came back and explained everything to me."

His clear, beautiful eyes locked onto Stella, shining with curiosity and hope. "Mom, are they really my family?"

Stella wanted to say no, but blood ties weren't something she could deny with mere words. She could refuse to return to the Williams family, refuse to acknowledge any of them—but she couldn't take away Keen's right to choose for himself.

Unsure of how to respond, Stella fell silent.

Aurora, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke. “Mr. O'Brien, I'm sorry. I should've told you the truth when we last met."

Haynes glanced at Stella and instantly understood why Aurora had kept her silence. He simply replied with a calm, "It's alright."

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After their last meeting, Keen had opened Aurora's gift-a first meeting present worth millions. While Aurora was certainly wealthy, that kind of gift was extravagant by any standard. At the time, Haynes had thought it was just gratitude for his past help. But now, it was clear: she'd wanted to meet Keen herself.

Skyler spoke up. "Star, I know it wasn't right for me to bring Keen here without any warning. But honestly, the fact that the O'Brien family let me do so without much fuss says a lot about their priorities."

He paused, then changed tack. "If the O'Brien family can't take care of Keen properly, maybe the Williams family should. At the very least, I wouldn't let just anyone walk away with him so easily."

Stella fixed Skyler with a sharp look. "What exactly are you suggesting?"

Skyler lifted his teacup and took a measured sip. "The Williams family has resources and connections that few can match. Keen deserves the best foundation. With our support, there's no limit to what he could achieve."

He picked up a folder that had been waiting at his side and handed it to Stella.

"This is a gift for Keen. Look it over before you decide."

Stella accepted th

the folder, her eyes narrowing as she flipped through the pages. To her astonishment, it was a share transfer agreement-Skyler was offering Keen five percent of The Williams Group's equity at was an enormous gesture.

Page by page, she read until she found the final clause: full custody of Keen

would transfer to the Williams family until he turned eighteen.

Stella looked up, meeting Skyler's steady gaze as he calmly sipped his tea. Neither Jonathan nor Aurora seemed surprised—it was clear they'd known about this all along.

Lowering her eyes, Stella hid her turmoil and silently passed the folder to Haynes. When he realized what it was a share transfer-his hand hesitated just slightly.