The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 2061

The man's grip was on her protective suit, so for the moment, Stella endured it.

"Why don't we take this outside?" she suggested calmly.

The man smirked, his grip tightening as he threw out a sleazy proposition.

"Give me a kiss first, and maybe I'll agree."

Before Stella could respond, a low, indifferent voice drifted in from the doorway.

"Take your hand off her."

Stella had been entirely focused on protecting the car behind her.

The gang of thugs had been entirely focused on Stella, completely oblivious to the man who had just appeared at the entrance.

At the sound of his voice, everyone—including Stella—turned toward the door.

A tall, striking silhouette stood perfectly still in the shifting shadows.

He was backlit, making his expression impossible to read, but his voice cut through the heavy silence, as cold and clear as a frozen lake.

"I said, let her go."

The thug boss finally snapped out of his daze.

He barked out a laugh. "Who the hell are you? Get the fuck out of here before I make you regret being born. You're ruining my mood—"

Before the threat fully left his mouth, a heavy tin of paint launched through the air, slamming violently into the boss's skull.

*Thud!*

A sickening crunch echoed as blood sprayed from the man's forehead.

The impact was brutal. The heavy tin dented from the force, exploding and showering paint in every direction.

The boss didn't even have time to scream before his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the floor, completely unconscious.

It happened so fast that everyone simply froze.

Even Stella hadn't had time to react.

Stella was fine since she was fully covered in her protective suit, but the others weren't so lucky. Nearly every thug was splattered in sticky paint.

The stunned goons finally snapped out of their shock.

They glared murderously at Joshua. "You hit our boss! You've got a death wish, you son of a bitch!"

"We're going to beat you until you're begging for your mother!"

And in the end, her worst fear had come true anyway.

She shook her head. "I'm fine."

After a pause, she added, "Thank you for stepping in."

Joshua didn't reply. Instead, he looked down at the specks of paint staining his crisp white shirt, a slight frown forming on his face.

When the paint-splattered thugs had rushed him, some of it had flicked onto his clothes.

Stella noticed his disgust immediately. She knew how much Joshua obsessed over cleanliness; he couldn't stand being stained.

She asked, "Do you want to take a shower and change clothes first?"

Joshua gave a faint nod, stepped over the groaning bodies littering the floor, and walked out of the garage.

...

The sound of running water echoed loudly from the bathroom.

Stella stared at the closed door, a sudden wave of reality crashing over her.

She had merely suggested he take a shower. How on earth did that translate to bringing him back to her house?