chapter1517

"Oh, and didn't the family discover several new mineral deposits recently? Send me the assessment reports for the gold, diamond, and jade mines. I'll pick a few to give to Star to play with."

Pick a few mines to give Star to play with?

Harold couldn't believe what he was hearing. Other men gave their sweethearts gold, diamonds, and jade. Joshua was giving her the entire mine.

He truly was the man who had it all. No wonder Joshua couldn't be bothered with the so-called treasures at auctions. He had the source, cutting out the middleman entirely.

"Also," Joshua added, as if another thought had just occurred to him, "give Star the casino in Yorston as seed money for her projects. Her business is just starting out, and she'll need a lot of capital. Pick out a few other prime properties to give her as well. She rarely comes to Aetheria, so her welcome gift can't be shabby."

Harold was practically numb. Right. Stella rarely comes to Aetheria, so of course, Joshua wants to give her his entire fortune. Of course, for Joshua, these gifts were trivial. But it wasn't wise to give Stella too much at this stage, lest it attract the attention of the other Gardners and bring disaster upon her.

Still, Joshua was clearly willing to move heaven and earth for Stella.

...

The next day, Stella and Joshua went to visit a private island.

Stella once again witnessed the staggering wealth of the Gardner family. They controlled nearly eighty percent of the industries in Aetheria, so almost every place they visited was owned by the Gardner Group.

Stella couldn't help but feel that the service staff were almost excessively enthusiastic toward her. Perhaps this was the secret to the Gardner family's success?

Stella sat on a beach chair, enjoying the sea breeze and the sun. She closed her eyes, relaxing completely. It had been a while since she'd felt so at ease, away from the schemes and conflicts of Solmaris.

The climate in Aetheria was perfect, not too hot or too cold. Even the ocean breeze was gentle. Perhaps because the Gardner family was so incredibly wealthy, the tesort experience here was on par with any top tourist destination.

She'd have to bring Abby Murphy here for a vacation when she had the time.

Her thoughts drifted, and she gradually fell asleep.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she felt a strange gaze on her. She slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a handsome, cold face.

Stella froze for a few seconds, thinking she was dreaming.

The man hadn't expected her to wake up, and he didn't have time to hide the complex, unreadable emotion in his eyes.

Stella shot up. "Leonard, what are you doing here?!"

Before Leonard could speak, another tall figure strode over to Stella's side. "Star, are you alright?"

Joshua was holding two glasses of freshly squeezed juice. He had seen Stella asleep and went to get her a drink for when she woke up. This was Aetheria, Joshua wasn't worried about her safety. But he never imagined that Leonard, clinging like a leech, would have the nerve to follow them here.

Joshua suppressed the rage rising within him. He curled his lips intoa smile that didn't reach his eyes. His gaze was icy glinting with

murderous intent. "Leonard,

seems you have a death wish."