The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 740

To keep the animals safe, the staff dressed them in lightweight, padded vests—just enough protection to avoid accidental injuries or fatal shots. Each animal also wore a small sticker somewhere on its body, marking the “prize zone.”

Only a shot landing precisely on that marked area would win a prize.

Of course, the animals were constantly in motion, especially since they were stationed at the very back of the range. Hitting a moving target like that? Not easy by any stretch.

The hardest of all was a cat perched farthest away. Its prize zone was stuck to the tip of its tail—hitting that would be next to impossible.

But the reward matched the challenge: a pair of earrings designed by the renowned artist, Madame Rose, valued at around three hundred thousand dollars. To date, no one had managed to claim this prize.

Keen knew just how difficult it was to hit any of the live animals and didn’t want to put Joshua on the spot. He said quietly, “Mr. Joshua, I’d love anything you win for me.”

Joshua glanced toward the distant prize, considered the challenge for a moment, then drew back his bow.

With a sharp “thwip!” the arrow shot out like lightning.

The animal sensed danger and tried to dodge, but it was a split-second too late. The arrow landed dead center on the prize zone.

A wave of astonished gasps rippled through the crowd. Cheers and applause erupted for Joshua, and more than a few children stared up at Keen with wide-eyed envy.

Several little boys even trotted over to Keen, greeting him with admiration.

“Your dad is amazing! He even hit the animal!”

“Yeah, I wish my dad was that cool!”

Keen blinked in surprise and blurted, “He’s not my—”

But before he could finish, another round of applause broke out.

“Oh my god, he hit the grand prize!”

“No way—who is this guy? Even the best pros couldn’t do that!”

After all, how could a woman like Simone—wealthy, beautiful, accomplished—ever feel threatened by someone who had already been married and had a child? As a true heiress, Simone had her own pride. Unlike Rachel, she never needed to stir up drama to prove her worth.

Self-confidence, after all, is something you grant yourself—not something you take from others.

In this, Aurora and Simone were much the same.

Aurora nodded. “All right.”

…

By the time Haynes arrived, he saw Keen surrounded by children, all chattering excitedly about Mr. Joshua. The way Keen looked at Joshua—with awe and adoration—was a look Haynes had only ever seen when Keen was with him.

Haynes hesitated at the edge of the crowd, then noticed Joshua handing a small gift box to Stella. The box was half open, and in the sunlight, the earrings inside sparkled brilliantly.

The sight stung Haynes’ eyes so sharply he had to look away.