chapter1198

Harold's eyes widened, a sense of dread creeping over him. "Mr. Gardner, the Lerman estate is crawling with elite guards and assassins. It's far too dangerous to go in there recklessly." ? ? ? ?s, ?s? s f?ndnovel.net

Joshua had succeeded last time because Leonard was out of the country. But Solmaris was the Lerman family's stronghold. As powerful as Joshua was, he wasn't invincible.

Harold knew Joshua was determined to eliminate Leonard. He tried a different approach. "Mr. Gardner, perhaps we should bring in more of our people and have them handle it."

"The Lerman estate is Leonard's turf," Joshua countered. "No matter how many men we bring, he'll always have more. Solmaris is a hub for major families; a large movement of personnel would attract unwanted attention. The more people we have, the easier it is to tip him off. If he senses us coming, we could be wiped out."

The Lerman family had the home-field advantage. Taking out Leonard amidst his own defenses would be no easy feat.

"Besides," Joshua added, his eyes turning cold, "this is something I have to do myself."

Once Joshua made a decision, it was immutable. Harold gave up trying to persuade him. He glanced at the live broadcast on his device. "Mr. Gardner, why did you kill Stuart in the first place? Even if you had to do it yourself, did it have to be in front of everyone?"

Harold knew Joshua's headaches had been severe around that time, which might have affected his judgment. But Joshua hadn't completely lost control; he was still capable of rational thought.

"If I hadn't killed him then, I wouldn't have gotten another chance so easily," Joshua said flatly. His dark eyes glinted with a chilling light. "And more importantly had let him live, he would have turned around and claimed Star seduced him." s

Harold understood immediately. They were in Germany, and if Stuart had escaped, tracking him down would have been difficult. But that was a secondary concern. The primary reason was that Joshua would not allow Stuart to slander Stella. If Stuart had survived, he would have twisted the story, painting Stella as the aggressor. In he-said-she-said confrontation, Stuart's vulgar nature would have ensured he dragged her name through the mud, making her the subject of gossip and judgment, regardless of the truth. s

Joshua refused to let her suffer even the slightest indignity.

Harold sighed. "Mr. Gardner, killing Stuart created more problems than it solved. Next time you're in a situation like that, you need to remain calm..."

"If the same thing happens again," Joshua cut him off, his voice laced with menace, "I will make the same choice. Anyone who touches Star dies."

Harold fell silent. If Stella had

actually been harmed, then going to war with the Gibson family and killing the man responsible would have been understandable. But in this case... Stella hadn't lost a single hair on her head. In fact, Stuart was the one who had come out worse for wear. s

If this was his reaction to Stuart, Harold couldn't imagine what he had in store for Leonard, the man who had crippled Stella's hand. It was no wonder Joshua wanted to handle him personally.

Harold looked down at the image of Stella on the screen and sighed silently.

Joshua was doing so much for her. What would happen when she finally learned the truth-when she discovered who and what he truly was? Would she be terrified?