I watched them banter back and forth, like two clowns putting on a show.

The wall clock read half-past seven. Elena would not arrive for another half hour.

The thought of going home soon gave me peace of mind. I was not bothered to get angry. I merely smirked softly.

“Do you want them washed? Fine!”

With that, I yanked the filthy sheets off the bed and flung them right into Reed’s face. He was flustered and stunned.

Before he could recover, I grabbed him and dragged him toward the washing machine.

My sudden actions caught Eira off guard. It left her stunned for a moment.

The next second, I roughly shoved both Reed and the sheets into the washing machine.

“Dirty things need to be washed together!”

“Ah! Vedran, you lunatic! Let me go!” Reed roared as he kicked around wildly in fury.

I easily seized his wrist. Five years of housework had made me way stronger than this pampered man.

Eira finally snapped out of it. She charged over and delivered a vicious kick to my stomach. The force sent me crashing to the floor.

She immediately pulled Reed out of the washing machine and shielded him in her arms.

Reed whined in her embrace. “Eira, how dare he do this to me! My wrist hurts so much...”

Eira glared at me, her eyes blazing with fury. “Vedran, I truly underestimated you!”

I pushed myself up from the floor. There was a dull ache in my stomach. Cold sweat was pouring down my forehead.

Her face twisted into a hideous grimace. “Stop playing around! I only kicked you once.”

Her high-heeled foot slammed down hard on my wrist. My bones cracked under the crushing weight.

“Ugh!”

The excruciating pain made me groan.

Eira leaned down. Her gaze was razor-sharp.

“Apologize to Reed right now! Admit you were wrong, or I’ll cripple this hand of yours today!”

Reed stood nearby and taunted me. “Eira, make him kneel and lick my shoes, and I’ll forgive him.”

“Do you hear that? Reed’s giving you a chance.”

As Eira spoke, the pressure from her foot intensified.

I gritted my teeth through the excruciating pain. My eyes stung and turned bloodshot.

It physically hurt, but much less so from the sheer absurdity of the past five years.

‘Elena, why are you not here yet? Your fiance is being bullied!’ I screamed in my head.

Just then, a voice rang out, cold and furious.

“Who dares bully my fiance!”

A dozen blinding headlights instantly illuminated the entire courtyard.

A woman dressed in sharp, crisp attire stepped out of the leading car. Her figure was poised and agile. Behind her followed a line of stern-faced bodyguards.

The viciousness on Eira’s face froze. It transformed into utter shock.

Elena lunged forward in a single stride and sent her flying with a kick.

She pulled off her coat and draped it over me to conceal my disheveled state.

Carefully, she cradled my bruised and swollen hand.

She gazed at me with the cherished warmth of finding a long-lost treasure.

“Vedran.” Her voice trembled slightly with emotion.

“I’ve come to take you home.”