The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 2066

Sketching portraits was child's play for Stella.

She gave a small nod. "Sure."

To save time, she opted for a simple, fast charcoal sketch.

An hour later, Stella set her pencil down.

"Done."

She handed the drawing to Joshua.

He took it, his eyes dropping to the paper.

Though it was a quick sketch, every line was rendered with stunning precision, bringing his likeness to life on the page. The piece radiated an undeniable, deep-rooted artistic mastery.

When Joshua remained silent, Stella couldn't help but ask, "What do you think, Mr. Gardner?"

He finally looked up, meeting her gaze with open admiration.

"As the current head of the Williams family, you play the violin, you understand cars, and you're an incredible artist. Oh, right..." He paused, adding, "Your culinary skills are also impeccable. You really are exceptional, Ms. Cameron. It makes me wonder if there's anything you can't do."

Joshua's gaze was filled with unconcealed appreciation and burning curiosity.

A shiver ran down Stella's spine under the weight of that look.

Things felt like they were drifting into very dangerous territory.

She had been terrified of him remembering the past.

But if he truly hadn't remembered anything, and was simply developing a genuine romantic interest in her anew...

That didn't exactly seem like a good thing either, did it?

She needed to finish the car as fast as humanly possible and put serious distance between them.

Stella avoided his eyes. "You flatter me, Mr. Gardner. There are plenty of things I can't do. If the proposal looks good to you, can I begin?"

Under normal daylight, the car would look like a standard luxury vehicle. The hidden effect couldn't contrast too aggressively with the base color, or it would look chaotic and disjointed.

One bottle of Joshua's rare paint had been ruined during the crash, leaving only two.

Since two bottles weren't enough to coat the entire car, Stella mixed standard automotive paint in a matching spectrum to serve as the daytime base layer. When night fell or rain hit, the standard paint would remain unchanged, while the specialized paint would activate, shifting the colors into a stunning new pattern.

She even formulated two distinct visual effects—one for the dark, and another for the rain.

As Stella prepped the paints, she could feel Joshua's intense gaze tracking her every move.

The scrutiny made her chest tight with unexplained nerves.

It wasn't until she finally applied the first stroke and fell completely into her workflow that she managed to push his presence out of her mind.

Stella was so deeply focused that the world around her faded away.

A long time passed before she finally finished the first stage of the paint job and set her tools down.