The thorn in my side

You're both in this together

Icelind sat up in the hospital bed. Her hands and temples were wired to a machine that beeped rhythmically. The monitor displayed a red, flashing graph. The man in the white coat gently removed the wires from her body.

Icelind thought back to the dinner the night before, when she'd run into... She shook her head, not wanting to dwell on it. Playing the fool in front of Travis's lover had been infuriating. She grabbed the doctor's arm and held on tightly, like a koala bear. "Skyler, I was bullied yesterday," she said.

Skyler knew better than anyone that no one could bully Icelind unless she let them. But he gently patted her hand, signaling for her to let go.

There was a knock at the door, followed by the sound of it opening. Skyler was slightly surprised. He had clearly turned on the "do not disturb" sign.

The moment the two girls came in, Icelind deliberately tightened her grip on Skyler's arm. She smirked to herself, knowing she had turned off the sign.

Emilia, frowned at the sight of Icelind holding onto her lover's arm. Unlike Emilia's patience, her best friend Hattie couldn't hide her irritation. "No one taught you to have any boundaries with someone else's lover," Hattie snapped.

Emilia thought Hattie was being a bit harsh. She gently pulled Hattie's arm, shaking her head to indicate she should let it go.

Icelind retorted, “What a rude chick!” Skyler turned to Icelind with a stern look, like an older brother reprimanding his younger sister. Seeing this, Icelind pouted and released his arm.

He turned to Emilia, his long-haired brown-haired fiancée. "I'll be ready in a minute." he said. Emilia stepped forward and kissed him on the lips, a clear assertion of her claim. She smiled and said, "I thought it would be fun if Hattie came with us to try on wedding dresses."

Emilia gently smoothed out the wrinkle on SKyler's shirt where Icelind had grabbed it and said softly, "Why don't you finish up? We'll be waiting downstairs."

Hattie couldn't resist one last, angry glare at Icelind as she left with Emilia, calling her a 'fox spirit' under her breath."

Skyler was the son of the maid who worked for Icelin's family. Since his mother and he had always lived at her house, it could be said that Icelind and Skyler had grown up together. Icelind has grown accustomed to relying on Skyler for everything. Considering Emilia a threat to her relationship with Skyler, Icelind would always try to break them up.

Hattie said angrily to Emilia, "Are you just going to let her get away with that?" "I've told you, her family has been kind to Skyler. I can't ask him to be ungrateful." "If no one else can teach Icelind a lesson, I will."

The wind whipped across the rooftop as Zephyr ran his fingers through his hair, replaying the events of last night. The shock of hearing Liesel say Icelind's name had sent him reeling. As he studied Travis's fiancée, it was like looking into a mirror of the past.

It all made sense now - why she hadn't responded to his greeting. For years, he'd wondered what he would say to her if they ever crossed paths again. How are you? Are you doing well? I'm sorry. Whatever, the words "It's a pleasure to meet you" is just not something a guy would say to a girl he's been rumored to be the father of.

Zephyr sighed deeply.

Suddenly, his phone lit up. It was Quirin. "Hey, sorry I'm late getting back to you. When did you get back? Let's meet up this weekend." "Just now. Listen, there's something I want to ask you..." "Sure, go ahead." "Was Icelind affected by the..."

The terrace door opened, and a girl appeared. Her eyes lit up when she saw Zephyr. "You're here?" Zephyr quickly ended the call. "I'll call you back, Quirin."

Hattie ran eagerly towards Zephyr, her eyes lit up with joy. Zephyr, her senior from college, had always been kind to her. With their families being acquainted, she was thrilled to find him working at the same hospital. It was a great opportunity for her.

Hattie hesitated, then whispered, "Um, am I bothering you?"

Zephyr raised an eyebrow. "What's up?" he asked. Unnoticed by Hattie, Zephyr tightened his grip on his phone slightly.

She continued, "I need your help with something. You're the only one who can help me with this."

A scarlet maple leaf fell onto Zephyr's car window. It was the most beautiful time of year for autumn leaves, yet the park was deserted on a weekday. Zephyr sat in his car, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel restlessly. Yesterday, Hattie had told him about Emilia's problem. Hattie wanted Zephyr to give the ex a scare, to teach her a lesson and make her leave Emilia alone.

Zephyr thought Hattie's idea was reckless but couldn't shake the feeling that Emilia's situation reminded him of Icelind.

Four imposing figures in black stood like statues beneath a sprawling tree, their expressions cold and hard. Before them stood a petite girl with tousled hair.

Hattie turned to the four men behind her, "Thanks for coming. Just stand here and look menacing, okay?" She was sure their presence alone would scare Icelind into submission.

In truth, when Hattie asked Zephyr to send his men, she didn't really expect him to say yes. She just wanted to test his reaction. For something like this, hiring a few no-name actors would be sufficient. Asking mercenaries to help her create a jealous scene was absurd. And yet, Zephyr immediately agreed to her favor. At this thought, Hattie's cheeks flushed. She touched her face and took a sip of coffee.

Dexter checked his watch and coughed lightly. His men, inexperienced in matters of the heart, were probably feeling a mix of nervousness and curiosity about their unusual assignment. He repeated Zephyr's instructions in his head: "If there's a fight, break it up. No one should get hurt."

A figure in white appeared in the distance. Dexter and his men noticed the approaching figure and exchanged nervous glances. A murmur of uncertainty ran through the group. As special forces with exceptional eyesight, they could identify a target from hundreds of meters away. After a brief hesitation, the leader gave a signal to stay put.

Icelind strolled towards her meeting with Hattie. Seeing Hattie standing with a group of men in black, Icelind paused momentarily but then continued walking. She must be planning to use them as muscle, trying to intimidate me. Let's see about that.

Icelind met Hattie's eyes and challenged, "What's this all about?" She glanced at the men behind Hattie, who returned her gaze with a respectful nod.

Hattie folded her arms and said, "When are you going to leave Skyler and Emilia alone?" Icelind scoffed. "Leave them alone? What business is it of yours what I do with Skyler?"

Zephyr opened the car door abruptly as his subordinate approached. "What is it?" he asked urgently. Dexter bowed respectfully. "Sir, there's a bit of a problem. The person who's meeting with Ms. Hattie is on our VIP list, as per the director's orders." "Who is it?"

Hearing the name, Zephyr hurried towards Hattie as Dexter followed close behind.

Hattie inhaled sharply, her anger rising. "You're shameless. They are getting married soon. If you don't want to be seen as a third party destroying someone's happiness, you should act properly."

Hân shrugged, her voice dripping with arrogance. "Your friend will be single again soon. No matter what, He will always choose me."

Enraged, Hattie spat, "How dare you!"

The dark brown liquid from the coffee cup Hattie was holding streamed down Icelind's white dress from her chin. Icelind looked down at her stained white dress and feigned innocence.

The three tall men standing behind Hattie were stunned. They were caught in a difficult situation. One of the girls was their boss's friend, but the other was a VIP assigned by the director. One of them quickly said, "Quick, get some napkins!"

The three men searched their pockets, but all they found were knives. Suddenly, they sensed something was amiss.

Icelind, who had been acting pitifully, now looked at Hattie with a smug expression, as if she had her opponent cornered. She tugged at her collar and said, "What if I told Skyler that his fiancée and her maid treated me this way?"

The three mercenaries could only see Hattie's back, but they could sense her trembling with anger.

Just as they were about to intervene, a figure moved faster than they could. It was their boss, Zephyr, who had stepped between the two girls.

Hattie was about to slap Icelind, but Zephyr blocked her. Hattie's nails grazed his back. Startled, she pulled her hand back. Her eyes welled up with tears. "Are you okay?"

Zephyr turned to Dexter and the three other men, who were staring at him in shock. "Escort she back," he ordered.

Then he turned to Icelind. Only now did he notice the coffee stains on her face and the ruined state of her white dress.

Their first reunion was already bad. This second time was even worse.

He quickly took a handkerchief from his inner pocket. As he reached out to wipe her face, Icelind took a step back. Her eyes showed a mix of surprise and resentment. "You're both in this together" she accused.