The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1152

Stella nodded. “Yes.”

Haynes frowned. “How did he manage to find someone that skilled so easily?”

Stella recounted her meeting with Harold, telling Haynes everything.

Haynes fixed his deep, storm-gray eyes on her. “Star, think about it—someone who can defeat the top hacker in such a short time isn’t just skilled. That’s not a fair fight. That’s total domination. People like that? They’re never as simple as they seem.”

He leaned in, voice low and grave. “Do you really believe the person Joshua introduced to you is just an ordinary cab driver?”

Before Stella could answer, Haynes pressed on, “And besides, how would Joshua, of all people, just happen to know someone so formidable?”

Stella heard the warning behind his words, and lowered her gaze. “Either way, the problem’s been solved. That’s what matters.”

Haynes’s brow creased. “Star—”

She looked up, meeting his eyes. “If he had some hidden agenda, he wouldn’t have offered to help so openly. He just wanted to help me, that’s all.”

A sly thought seemed to cross Israel’s mind. He lowered his voice. “Leonard, this hacker you hired—are you sure he’s as good as they say? What if Stella finds someone even better? Wouldn’t all our work be for nothing?”

Leonard replied coolly, “Right now, Q is the best in the business. Finding someone stronger? Nearly impossible. Besides…” He took a slow sip of tea. “Stella has no idea her company’s security has already been breached. She’s probably tearing her hair out, desperately hunting for a traitor on the inside. By the time she’s forced to sell off her shares to fill the gaps, even if she does find someone more capable, it won’t matter. We already have all her confidential files. There’s no coming back from that.”

Israel looked at Leonard. “You sound like you still have another trick up your sleeve.”

Leonard was sharp—no wonder he’d become head of the family. He tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. “Stella’s barely holding it together. Now’s the perfect moment. Have Q leak news of a major blunder she’s made. By the time she finds a hacker to fight back, it’ll be too late. No one will trust her, and no one will dare do business with her. She’ll have no choice but to dump her stock. That’s when you move in—push her share price even lower, and scoop up everything you can. This time, you’ll force Stella completely out of the game.”