The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 564

Although she’d never been particularly interested in men, no one could deny the appeal of something easy on the eyes.

Joshua struck up a conversation with her, and as they talked, Callie found herself growing unexpectedly comfortable around him—almost as if they’d known each other for years.

Callie was never one to keep things bottled up. All it took was a few casual questions from Joshua, and she ended up spilling everything about her family, her older brother, and eventually about Stella and Keen, as if emptying a sack of beans.

By the end of the afternoon, Joshua had a crystal-clear picture of the O’Brien family’s affairs.

It wasn’t until Haynes finally called to check in—assuring Callie that Keen had been rescued—that she finally paused for breath.

Soon afterward, under the arrangement of Haynes’s assistant, Joshua made his way to the hospital, arriving just in time to run into Abby and Neville. The three of them went upstairs together.

After leaving the hospital, Stella and Abby slid into the back seat of the car. Neville took the wheel, while Joshua settled into the front passenger seat.

Abby couldn’t hold back any longer. “Star, what happened? You’ve looked after Keen for years without a hitch—how’d he end up being kidnapped this time?”

Stella leaned back, exhaustion written all over her face. “I suspect this whole kidnapping was staged by Rachel herself.”

As soon as she spoke, everyone turned to look at Stella. For a moment, the car was thick with silence.

Abby pressed, “Star, do you have any proof?”

Stella shook her head. “From the way Lind acted, it was as good as an admission. He danced around the truth, never actually confessing, but if you listened carefully, you could hear it between the lines. Keen was there, but I doubt he could pick up on the subtleties.”

Abby frowned. “So Rachel orchestrated Keen’s kidnapping just to play the victim? She’s really going all out, huh? She must’ve realized Haynes was getting suspicious after what Mr. Burton said, so she pulled this stunt to cover herself?”