chapter1837

Joshua smiled and hugged Keen, whispering in his ear, "Thank you. And... I'm sorry."

Confusion filled Keen's eyes. He didn't understand why Mr. Joshua was apologizing to him.

Before he could ask, Joshua had already let him go and taken Stella's hand, leading her away.

Solmaris, the Williams family estate.

Upon learning that the transfer of Leonard's shares had not only failed but had also been frozen, even Aurora, with her exceptional composure, could no longer maintain her decorum.

She couldn't help but let out a small, cold laugh. "To think... to think that Leonard would one day scheme against me for another woman."

If it hadn't been for Leonard's countermove, her plan would have succeeded.

But now, she had lost on all fronts. She had gained nothing and had also lost Foreman as a pawn.

Leonard, who had once done all sorts of wicked things for her, had now become one of her biggest obstacles. The whiplash of it all made her despise him even more than she did Joshua.

Jonathan, however, showed no signs of disappointment. He said calmly, "Leonard is the head of the family, after all. It's normal for him to have considered these things.

If we had known he would become such an obstacle, we shouldn't have given up on him so easily back then."

Aurora sneered. "It's useless. From the day he started paying attention to Stella, the outcome was already set."

"In any case," Jonathan said, "the freeze on Leonard's shares isn't entirely bad for

us.

At the very least, Stella won't inherit the shares directly and sideline me.

Six months is enough time for us to turn the tables."

Aurora looked at Jonathan, a faint smile touching her lips.

"Have you already figured out our next move, Jonathan?"

Jonathan nodded. "I plan to marry Lauretta Chapman. That way, we'll bind our interests together, and the Chapman family will have no choice but to fully support

me.

With their support, even if Stella gets Leonard's shares, she won't be able to sideline me easily."

As the heir to the Williams family, Jonathan certainly had a strategic mind.

If Aurora hadn't been kidnapped, Jonathan and Lauretta would probably have been engaged already.

Though frustrated, Aurora wasn't one to dwell on failure.

She nodded lightly. "That is indeed a viable plan."

Just then, Coleman Williams, who

had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up. "I heard Lauretta

is Stella's best friend. If she marries into our family, won't she become Stella's spy?"

Jonathan, however, dismissed concern. "Lauretta may have a

reputation, but she's just a womlet

who cant even defy her owndamily. She can't make any waves."

Seeing this, Coleman said no more.

Stella had just gotten off the plane when she received a text from an unknown number.

[Jonathan plans to marry Lauretta in the near future.]

Reading the message, Stella's expression hardened.

Seeing her look, Joshua asked, "Star, what is it?"

Stella showed him the message.

Joshua smiled. "It seems our pawn, Coleman, is starting to prove his worth."

Stella sighed. "Marrying into the Chapman family is indeed Jonathan's best option right now. But it's a shame for Lauretta."

Lauretta had no real power; she couldn't defy her family.

And Stella had no right to interfere in someone else's marriage.

Joshua pulled Stella into an embrace. "There are plenty of ways to keep Lauretta

from marrying Jonathan. You don't need to worry about it."

Stella looked up at him. "I thought about hiring someone to seduce Jonathan, but that would take a long time and might not even succeed. Using that tactic too often would make him suspicious."

Joshua lightly kissed her hair, his eyes unreadable.

"You're too soft-hearted, Star."

Stella was about to say more, but Joshua cut her off. "Leave this to me."

Three days later, Stella had just met up with Lauretta when she received a call from Skyler Williams.

"Star, get to the hospital right away. Jonathan was in a car accident."